Romance 
Seminar 


\ 


THE  OLD  FRENCH  GRAIL  ROMANCE 


PERLESVAUS 


A    STUDY   OF   ITS    PRINCIPAL   SOURCES 


PRESENTED    TO    THE    BOARD    OF    UNIVERSITY    STUDIES 

OF  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY  FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY, 

1899 


COLUMBIA  UNIVEKSITY 


BALTIMORE 

JOHN    MURPHY   COMPANY 
igoa 


COEKECTIONS. 


P.  2,  line  23,  before  which  insert  a  comma. 

P.  2,  add  note  to  1.  23  :   Seint  Greed,  part  II,  London,  1876. 

P.  3,  note  4,  add  comma  after  text. 

P.  9,  1.  11,  for  text  read  texts. 

P.  18,  1.  22,  for  reprinted  read  printed. 

P.  25,  1.  24,  for  show  read  shows. 

P.  27,  1.  16,  omit  comma  at  the  end  of  the  line. 

P.  36,  lines  18  and  26,  for  Glapissante  read  glapissante. 

P.  37,  1.  9,  after  Perceval  omit  period. 

P.  38,  L  17,  /or  would  read  aAouM. 

P.  44,  1.  13,  after  called  insert  a  comma. 

P.  49,  1.  1 0,  after  castle  insert  a  comma. 

P.  52,  note,  for  only  mentions  read  mentions  only. 

P.  67,  note  4,  1.  22,  omit  of  after  or. 

P.  68,  1.  16,  for  continuation  read  Continuation. 

P.  73,  1.  13,  omit  comma  after  version. 

P.  73,  note  2,  for  continuation  read  Continuation. 

P.  75,  second  line  from  the  bottom,  re»d  poni  for  pout. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

PREFACE v 

INTRODUCTION 1 

EXAMINATION  OF  THE  MSS 3 

The  Additional  Matter  found  in  MSS.  O  and  P 9 

On  the  Relation  of  the  Manuscripts 15 

LITERATURE  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  PERLESVAUS 20 

Previous  Views  on  the  Perlesvaus 20 

Discussion  of  the  Above  Views 35 

RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  PERLESVAUS  TO  CRESTIEN'S  PERCEVAL 43 

The  General  Plan  of  the  Perlesvaus 43 

Comparison  of  the  Versions  of  the  Grail  Episode 48 

Relation  of  the  Versions  to  Each  Other 54 

Origin  of  the  Chessboard  Story  in  Perlesvaus 59 

Other  Agreements  with  Crestien's  Poem 61 

RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE   PERLESVAUS  TO  THE  CONTINUATIONS  OF  THE 

PERCEVAL 66 

a.  Pseudo-Gautier 66 

b.  Gautier 73 

c.  Manessier 78 

d.  Gerbert 87 

THE  DATE  OF  THE  PERLESVAUS 99 

CONCLUSIONS 102 

APPENDIX  :  I.— Text 106 

II. — Genealogy  of  the  Grail  Family 110 

BIBLIOGRAPHY Ill 

LIFE . .  115 


PREFACE. 


This  study  is  here  published  substantially  as  it  was  submitted 
to  the  Johns  Hopkins  University  in  1899  for  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Philosophy.  A  few  changes  have  since  been  made  in  it,  but 
these  are  mainly  in  matters  of  detail.  A  more  thorough  revision, 
for  which  I  did  not  have  time,  would  doubtlessly  have  gone  far  to 
improve  it.  I  trust,  however,  that  the  results  it  contains  will  be 
none  the  less  evident  because  they  are  not  always  presented  in  the 
best  possible  form. 

The  subject  of  the  investigation  was  suggested  to  me  by  Pro- 
fessor F.  M.  Warren  of  Yale  University.  To  him  I  am  indebted 
for  many  valuable  suggestions.  My  thanks  are  also  due  the  heads 
of  several  great  libraries  of  Europe  for  various  courtesies  and 
for  much  timely  assistance.  In  this  regard,  I  am  under  special 
obligations  to  Mr.  Nicholson  of  the  Bodleian  Library  and  to  M. 
Macon,  the  librarian  of  the  memorable  Due  d'Aumale. 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY,  June  1st,  1902. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Old  French  romance,  Perlesvaus^  with  which  the  following 
pages  deal,  was  published  in  1866  in  conjunction  with  the  Perceval 
of  Crestien  de  Troyes.  Since  the  date  of  its  publication,  the  work 
has  several  times  been  the  object  of  more  or  less  fruitful  discussion. 
The  past  investigation  on  the  subject,  however,  has  been  limited 
merely  to  the  bearing  the  romance  has  on  questions  relating  to  the 
Holy  Grail.  The  Perlesvaus,  it  seems,  has  shared  the  fate  of  most 
Grail  works  in  that  its  importance  for  the  history  of  the  Grail 
legend  has  for  the  time  being  overshadowed  the  interest  in  the 
work  itself.  While  several  permanent  contributions  have  been 
made  with  respect  to  parts  of  the  romance,  there  has  been  thus  far 
no  independent  attempt  to  learn  definitely  the  origin  and  the 
nature  of  the  work. 

The  need  then  of  a  special  study  of  the  Perlesvaus  will  be  readily 
admitted.  Certainly,  the  romance  is  of  sufficient  importance  as  a 
Grail  work  to  justify  such  an  undertaking;  moreover,  aside  from 
its  connection  with  the  Grail  legend  it  possesses  a  peculiar  interest 
as  one  of  the  earliest  examples  of  French  literary  prose.  Conse- 
quently, if  the  Perlesvaus  is,  as  it  has  been  held  to  be,  chiefly  a 
compilation  from  other  contemporary  works,  the  first  step  in  the 
further  study  of  it  is  to  ascertain  from  what  particular  sources  it 
was  compiled.  At  the  same  time  the  question  of  the  extent  and 
nature  of  the  indebtedness  to  these  sources  should  be  considered. 
It  is  with  a  view  to  the  partial  settlement  of  these  two  questions  : 
the  particular  sources  of  the  Perlesvaus  and  the  relation  of  the 
romance  to  these  sources,  that  the  present  study  is  made. 

The  previous  studies  dealing  with  the  work  serve  as  a  starting- 
point  for  the  investigation  in  hand.  A  review  of  this  literature 

1  Perceval  le  Oallois  ou  le  Conle  du  Qraal.  Premiere  partie :  le  roman  en  prose. 
Ch.  Potvin,  MODS,  1866. 

1 


2  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

will  be  made  in  order  to  indicate  the  results  thus  far  reached  by- 
writers  on  the  subject  and  to  determine  what  special  points  are  still 
open  to  discussion.  This  method  will  define  largely  the  course  of 
the  present  study.  As  to  the  limits  of  the  study,  it  was  at  first 
planned  to  take  account  of  most  of  the  sources  of  the  Perlesvaus, 
the  order  in  which  the  sources  were  to  be  treated  being  as  far  as 
possible  according  to  their  relative  importance.  That  is,  those 
works  were  to  be  considered  first  to  which  the  Perlesvaus  appeared 
to  be  most  closely  related ;  those  were  to  be  considered  next  with 
which  it  showed  less  connection ;  and  so  on,  as  its  affinity  with  the 
works  in  question  diminished.  For  so  full  a  treatment,  however, 
more  time  and  space  would  have  been  necessary  than  could  be 
given  to  the  study.  Accordingly  the  relationship  of  the  romance 
only  to  its  more  important  sources  will  be  considered  here. 

The  present  inquiry,  however,  had  necessarily  to  be  preceded  by 
an  examination  of  the  MSS.  of  the  Perlesvaus.  The  modern  edition 
of  the  romance  was  published  by  Potvin  from  a  single  MS.  in  the 
Bibliotheque  de  Bourgogne  at  Brussels,  though  variants  were  also 
given  from  a  Bern  MS.  which  contains  two  fragments  of  the  work. 
Since  the  publication  of  Potvin's  edition,  however,  five  additional 
MSS.  have  come  to  light  containing  the  Perlesvaus  in  some  form  or 
other;  and  in  1876  the  Rev.  Robert  Williams  edited  a  Welsh 
translation  (with  a  Modern  English  rendition  by  himself)  which 
M.  Gaston  Paris  ascribes  to  a  better  French  text  than  that  of 
Potvin's  MS.  The  necessity  is  thus  apparent  of  considering  first 
this  additional  MS.  material  before  proceeding  to  the  study  of  the 
work.  Three  of  the  MSS.  unknown  to  Potvin  (which  are  virtually 
two  as  the  third  is  a  late  copy  of  the  second)  are  in  Paris,  a  fourth 
is  in  Chantilly,  and  a  fifth  at  Oxford.  The  present  writer  has  made 
a  somewhat  detailed  examination  of  these  MSS.  and  has  also  partially 
verified  the  Potvin  text  according  to  the  Brussels  MS.  ;  the  results  of 
this  examination  will  be  found  in  the  following  pages. 


EXAMINATION  OF  THE  MSS. 


The  MS.  at  Brussels l  being  that  from  which  the  Perksvaus  is  to- 
day known  was  made  the  basis  of  the  following  examination  of  the 
MSS.  as  well  as  of  the  study  proper  of  the  romance.  As  Potvin 
gave  details  concerning  this  MS.,2 1  shall  not  give  a  description  of 
it  here.  For  those  that  are  interested  in  the  text,  it  may  be  said 
that  the  editor  did  not  quite  retain  the  physiognomy,  as  he  ex- 
presses it,  of  the  MS.  ;  several  changes  have  been  introduced  into 
the  text  which  are  not  mentioned  among  the  editor's  proposed  cor- 
rections.3 Although  I  do  not  know  to  what  extent  these  changes 
were  made,  yet  those  that  I  have  found  are  slight  and  merely 
improve  the  text.4  As  a  rule  Potvin  gives  a  faithful  copy  of  the  MS. 

Besides  being  separated  into  branches,  the  romance  in  the  Brus- 
sels MS.  (B)  is  divided  into  paragraphs  or  chapters:  these  divi- 
sions Potvin  reproduces  from  the  MS.  The  average  length  of  the 
paragraph  is  less  than  a  page  of  print  (octavo),  the  longest  being 
over  four  pages  and  the  shortest  seven  lines.  The  chief  aim  in 
-examining  the  other  MSS.  of  the  romance  was  to  see  in  what 
respects  they  differ  from  B  as  regards  contents.  But  owing  to  the 
limited  time  at  my  disposal  it  was  impossible  to  collate  thoroughly, 
word  for  word,  the  Potvin  text  with  the  other  five  MSS.  Hence 
the  following  plan  was  pursued  :  the  opening  lines  of  each  Potvin 
paragraph  were  carefully  compared  with  the  corresponding  passage 
in  each  of  the  other  MSS.,  in  the  same  way  the  last  few  lines  of  each 
paragraph  were  compared,  and  where  the  paragraph  was  too  long 
it  was  split  up  into  sections  and  a  similar  comparison  was  made. 

lBMiothlque  de  Bourgogne,  11,  145.  2  Op.  cit.,  p.  354. 

*Ibid.,  p.  358.     For  instances,  cf.  ff.  74  c.,  76  b.,  77  a. 

*  Cf.  f.  74  c.,  the  MS.  reads :  que  nos  meslre  de  nos  metriez  nostre  chief  en  autretel 
abon  bandomme.  Potvin  leaves  out  the  italicized  words  but  without  mentioning 
the  omission.  The  MS.  is  evidently  a  copy  of  a  poor  text  as  the  italicized 
words  show. 

3 


4  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

The  following  is  a  detailed  account  of  the  variants  from  B  thu* 
found  together  with  a  description  of  the  individual  MSS. 

Hatton  82  (0)  :  This  MS.,1  in  the  Bodleian  Library  at  Oxford, 
was  first  mentioned  by  Stengel  in  his  edition  of  Durmart  le  Galois.2 
He  again  refers  to  it  in  the  Rivista  di  Filologia  Romanza?,  in  con- 
nection with  a  MS.  of  the  Perceval  of  Crestien  de  Troyes.  There 
he  says  in  part :  "  Questo  codice  £  del  secolo  XIII,  e  consta  di 
ff.  87  in  foglio  piccolo,  ciascuna  pagina  divisa  in  due  colonne  .  .  . 
non  v'ha  dubbio  che  il  testo  del  codice  Hatton  £  assai  migliore  di 
quello  del  cod.  del  sign.  Potvin.  Notero  inoltre  che  le  varianti 
che  egli  trassi  del  cod.  Bernese  ed  inseri  nella  sua  edizione  ne 
sono  tutte  ne  setnpre  esatte." 

The  MS.  is  in  vellum  and  is  well  preserved.  The  folios  have 
four  columns  of  47  lines  each.  Beginning  with  the  text,  there 
are  88  ff.  and  not  as  Stengel  states  87.  The  handwriting  of  the 
MS.  appears  to  be  of  about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
Above  the  text  f.  1  a,  there  are  two  superscriptions,  the  one  above 
the  other.  The  first  or  upper  one,  in  ordinary  cursive  writing, 
reads :  Le  seint  Genert  Le  liure  Sire  .  .  .  Alayn.  The  second  or 
lower  one  is  the  superscription  proper :  Le  seint  Graal,  le  liuer  sire 
Brian  fiz  Alayn. 

As  to  these  superscriptions,  Mr.  Nicholson,  the  librarian  of  the 
Bodleian,  thinks  the  upper  one  cannot  be  earlier  than  the  sixteenth 
century,  possibly  even,  it  is  of  the  seventeenth.  The  superscription 
proper,  he  holds,  is  of  the  first  half  of  the  fourteenth  century,  or 
of  the  very  end  of  the  thirteenth  century.  It  is  practically  certain 
that  it  is  not  in  the  same  handwriting  as  the  body  of  the  text, 
which  is  undoubtedly  of  the  thirteenth  century.  An  indication 
of  this  last  fact  is  that  the  capitals  are  omitted  throughout  the 
text,  leaving  space  for  the  illuminated  capitals  that  were  never 
inserted;  thus,  it  is  probable,  too,  that  the  scribe  left  the  title  for 
the  illuminator.  Still  on  f.  1  a  the  scribe  of  the  lower  superscrip- 
tion has  supplied  one  capital  (namely,  L)  in  the  same  ink  and 
style  as  the  superscription  itself.  The  Hatton  MS.  came  into  the 

1  These  MSS.  are  treated  in  the  order  of  their  importance. 
*SluUg.  lilt.  Verein,  vol.  cxvi.  *i,  192. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  5 

Bodleian  library  about  1620,  which  may  be  taken  as  a  broad 
terminus  ad  quern  for  both  superscriptions  as  neither  of  them  was 
written  after  that  date. 

The  MS.  begins,  just  as  B,  with  : 

L'estoires  du  saintisme  vessel  que  on  apele  Graal  o  quel  li  pr.ecieus 
sans  au  sauueeur,  etc. 

It  ends : 

Id  fuut  li  saitismes  cotes  du  graal.  Josephes  par  cui  il  est  en 
ramebrance  done  la  beneicon  nre  seigneur  atoz  cex  qui  lentedent  7 
qui  loneurent.  li  latins  de  cui  cist  estoires  fu  tretiez  en  romdz.  en  lille 
daualon  en  une  sainte  meson  de  religion  qui  siet  au  chief  del  mares 
auenturex.  la  o  li  rois  artuz  1  la  roine  gisent.  par  le  tesmoignage 
des  preudomes  religieus  qui  la  dedez  sont  qui  tote  lestoire  en  ont  uraie 
des  le  qmecement  desqen  la  fin. 

The  last  fifteen  lines  of  B  are  not  found  in  this  MS.1 

The  MS.  differs  from  B  in  the  following  respects  : 

At  f.  50  b  (Pot.,  p.  212,  1.  4),  after  the  word  abeissa,  the  text 
-continues  at  once,  without  any  seeming  interruption,  with  the  next 
paragraph  in  Potvin,  beginning  :  atant  es-voz;  that  is,  an  omission 
of  eleven  lines  is  made.  The  word  devisse,  on  f.  57  c  (Pot.,  p.  238, 
1.  11),  is  followed  by  a  passage,2  covering  about  three  columns  in 
the  MS.,  for  which  there  is  no  equivalent  in  B. 

B.  2V.  /.  1428.  (JP) :  A  full  description  of  this  MS.  is  given 
by  Wechssler.3  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  part  of  the  account  I 
give  here,  which,  however,  I  have  verified.  The  MS.  is  wrongly 
designated  in  the  Catalogue  des  manuscrits  frangais  I,  ancienfonds* 
as  Saint  Graal.  Wechssler  says :  "  P.  Paris  hat  jedoch  ihren 
eigenartigen  Inhalt  bereits  erkannt.  Es  findet  sich  vorn  von  seiner 
Hand,  die  mir  durch  Eintragung  als  solche  bekannt  ist,  folgende 
Bemerkung  :  Le  roman  de  Perlesvaus  ou  Perceval  qui  semble  avoir 

1  Divisions  of  the  text  into  branches  occur  at  the  following  places  in  the  MS.  : 
f.  5  d  (=  Pot.,  p.  23),  f.  8  a  (=  Pot.,  p.  35),  f.  10  c  (=  Pot.,  p.  48),  f.  13  d  (=  Pot., 
p.  59),  f.  16  b  (=  Pot.,  p.  71),  f.  24  d  (=  Pot.,  p.  105),  f.  28  d  (=  Pot.,  p.  121), 
f.  45  c  (=  Pot.  p.  187),  f.  60  d  (=  Pot.,  p.  248),  f.  75  b  (=  Pot.,  p.  301 ). 

*  Cf.  appendix  for  a  copy  of  this  passage. 

3  Zfrp.  xx,  80.  4  Paris,  1868,  p.  224. 


6  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

et£  remanU  pour  devenir  celui  de  Perceval  le  Gallois.  11  a  et£ 
imprimS  a  la  suite  du  St.  Graal  sous  le  litre  Le  second  volume  du 
St.  Graal  contenant  la  conqueste.  ...  St.  Graal  f aide  par  Lance 
lot  Galaad  Perceval  Sohort.  Paris  Galiot  du  Pre  1516,  petit  in 
fo.  P.  Paris  hat  das  Werk  also  bereits  mit  einera  Drucke  identi- 
fiziert:  das  ist  das  wesentliche  an  der  im  uebrigen  nicht  recht 
klaren  Notiz." 

The  MS.  is  carefully  written  and  consists  of  158  ff.,  with  four 
columns  of  forty  lines  each  to  a  folio.  It  is  bound  in  brown 
leather,  and  on  the  back  is  inscribed,  Roman  des  Chevaliers  de  la 
table  ronde.  Wechssler  ascribes  it  to  the  thirteenth  century.  As  the 
writing  is  rather  pale  and  there  are  no  miniatures,  it  was  probably 
written  during  the  second  third  of  that  century,  perhaps  about 
1240.  The  beginning  and  end  of  the  MS.  are  lost.  On  f.  1  a,  a 
more  recent  scribe  has  put :  S"r  greal  .  .  .  Romant  de  m+  gauuin 
.  .  .  MCCCXIIL 

The  text  begins  with  (Pot.,  p.  21,  1.  14) :  uient  socorre  et  lifrere 
au  ch'r  ueirmeil  q*l  ocist  en  la  forest,  etc.  It  ends  (Pot.,  p.  340,  1. 
16) :  pRl'  senuait  qme  cil  qi  est  en  grant  desirrier  daqplir  son  afaire 

7  molt  couoite  le  raler  el  chastel  la  ou  la  chaene  dor  saparut  a  lui. 
Jcar  il  ne  vit  onqs  mais  manoir  q'  tant  li  pleust.     II  atant  chevauchie 
q'l  est  ven'  en  la  diver.1 

A  number  of  apparent  breaks  are  found  in  the  text  which  are 
probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the  folios  were  shifted  when  the  MS. 
was  bound.  They  occur  at  intervals  from  f.  48  down  through 
f.  53;  but  with  a  little  care  the  reader  can  readjust  the  folios 
for  himself. 

There  are,  however,  two  genuine  gaps  in  the  MS.  The  one  is 
between  ff.  46  and  47  and  corresponds  to  Pot.  pp.  123  and  124, 
and  the  other  between  ff.  50  and  51,  corresponding  to  Pot.  pp.  133 
and  134.  As  two  pages  of  text  in  Potvin  would  be  equivalent  to 
about  one  folio  of  P,  it  is  likely  that  in  each  of  these  cases  a  folio 
was  lost  from  the  MS. 

1  New  branches  begin  at  the  following  places  :  f .  1  d  (Pot.,  p.  23),  f .  6  b  (Pot.t 
p.  35),  f.  11  c  (Pot.,  p.  48),  f.  17  a  (Pot.,  p.  59),  f.  22  c  (Pot.,  p.  71),  f.  33  b  (Pot., 
p.  94),  f.  38a  (Pot.,  p.  105),  f.  46  b  (Pot.,  p.  121),  f.  78c:  une des maistres  branches 
dtl  graal  (Pot.,  p.  187),  f.  109 d  (Pot.,  p.  248),  f.  137  c  (Pot.,  p.  301 }. 


A  Study  of  the.  Perlesvaus.  7 

Chantilly  JMES.  (C) :  This  version  of  the  Perlesvaus  is  a 
part  of  the  famous  MS.  in  the  private  library  of  the  Due  d'Aumale 
(which  now  belongs  to  the  Institute  of  France)  at  Chautilly,  France. 
Gaston  Paris  called  attention  to  the  version  in  the  Romania.1  I 
had  access  to  the  MS.  in  the  summer  of  1896. 

It  is  catalogued  as  no.  626  (XIVH)  and  our  romance  extends  from 
f.  214  recto  to  f.  243  verso ;  thus,  the  version  covers  only  177  pages 
or  about  one-half  of  the  Potvin  text.  The  MS.  is  bound  in  leather ; 
on  the  back  we  read  :  La  Conoiss  de  Toutes  Choses  1250.  The 
index  mentions  the  Perlesvaus  as,  Li  estore  del  Graal  (en  prose), 
whereas  the  superscription  itself  (f.  214)  reads  :  La  Queste  du  Saint 
Graal.  The  version  agrees  with  B  as  far  as  it  goes.  It  breaks 
off  suddenly  with :  ensi  auons  nos  tot  perdu  secest  uoirs  car 
madame  ma  mere  na  respit  desire  en  son  eastiel  q  dusqu  vne  quin- 
salne(Pot.,  p.  178,1.  17).2 

B.  N.  /.  120  (G),  (Arsenal  MS.  3480):  Wechssler3  has 
mentioned  that  the  beginning  of  the  Perlesvaus,  as  far  as  the  return 
of  Arthur  to  his  court,  occurs  in  these  two  MSS.  of  the  Graal- 
Lancelot  Cycle. 

In  ffr.  120  the  fragment  is  found  from  if.  520  a  522  d ;  it  there 
constitutes  the  beginning  of  the  third  book  of  the  Prose  Lancelot 
or,  more  specifically,  of  the  Quete.  The  text  of  the  fragment  is  in 
substantial  agreement  with  that  of  B  as  far  as  Pot.,  p.  19  (f.  522  b), 
where  Arthur  is  told  about  Perceval.  Instead  of  the  reading  which 
then  follows  in  B  :  il  fu  fiuz  Vilein  le  gros  des  vans  de  Kamaaloth, 
et  est  apeles  Perlesvax,  G  has  :  il  est  nepueu  du  roy  pellefiz  de  lafille 
du  roy  peschour  ;  that  is,  Galaad  is  the  hero  of  the  story  in  G  and 
not  Perceval.  Accordingly  too,  the  account  of  Perceval's  boy- 
hood, which  is  thereupon  related  in  B,  is  lacking  entirely  in  G 
which  goes  on  at  once  with  Pot.,  p.  21, 1.  18  :  Sire  or  vos  ai-je  dit, 
etc.  These  changes,  of  course,  were  made  in  G  in  order  to  make 

1  xxn,  296 ;  cf.  also  Wechssler,  I.  c. 

2  At  the  following  places  in  the  MS.  there  are  indications  of  new  divisions 
(branches)  of  the  subject :  f.  217  b  (Pot.,  p.  23),  f.  218  a  (Pot.,  p.  35),  f.  220  a 
(Pot.,  p.  48),  f.  222  a  (Pot.,  p.  59),  f.  224  b  (Pot.,  p.  71),  f.  230  c  (Pot.,  p.  105) 
f.  232  d  (Pot.,  p.  121).  »/.  c. 


8  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

this  excerpt  from  Perlesvaus  agree  with  the  account  in  the  Quete. 
The  excerpt  ends  with  Pot.,  p.  24,  1.  7 :  et  revindrent  a  la  cort  a 
grant  esploit. 

The  Arsenal  MS.  (3480)  is  according  to  Wechssler  a  copy  of  G, 
and  the  extract  from  the  Perlesvaus  found  in  it  is  practically 
identical  with  that  in  the  latter  MS. 

From  the  foregoing  we  see  that  MS.  O  is  the  fullest  version  of 
the  Perlesvaus  extant.  Save  for  the  lack  of  eleven  lines  (f.  50  b, 
corresponding  to  Pot.,  p.  212,  11.  4-15)  and  the  last  fifteen  lines, 
it  comprises  all  of  MS.  B,  and,  in  addition,  a  complete  version  of 
the  episode  of  the  Cercle  cTor,  a  portion  only  of  which  episode  is 
found  in  MS.  B.  The  fact  that  the  aforesaid  eleven  lines  are  also 
omitted  in  the  Welsh  text  may  be  of  value  in  determining  the 
relation  of  the  Welsh  version  to  O.  From  the  point  of  view  of 
completeness,  the  Brussels  MS.  and  the  Welsh  text  probably  rank 
next  in  importance.  Then  follows  MS.  P.  This  MS.,  although 
it  also  possesses  the  complete  version  of  the  episode  of  the  Cercle 
d'or,  mentioned  above,  has  suffered  considerably.  The  beginning 
and  the  end  are  missing,  and  there  are  two  gaps,  a  folio  each  in 
extent  (between  ff.  46  and  47  and  between  ff.  50  and  51),  in  the 
body  of  the  MS.  The  last  MS.  of  importance,  outside  of  the  Bern 
fragments,1  is  the  Chantilly  MS.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  little 
more  than  half  of  the  Perlesvaus  is  covered  by  it,  as  the  MS.  is  in 
such  excellent  condition. 

The  fragment  of  the  Perlesvaus  in  the  MS.  of  the  Graal-Lancelot 
Cycle  is  too  short  to  be  of  much  value.  Nevertheless,  it  is  inter- 
esting to  note  how  the  author  of  this  cycle  used  the  introduction 
of  our  romance  for  his  version  of  the  Quete,  in  leaving  out  the 
story  of  Perceval's  boyhood  and  making  a  substitution  for  his 
descent  that  answers  verbatim  the  origin  of  Galaad,  as  given 
in  the  Quete. 

All  of  these  MSS.  resemble  each  other  closely,  and  doubtlessly 
belong  to  the  same  redaction.  In  all  of  them  the  episodes  follow 
in  the  same  order  and  relate  the  same  facts.  Those  of  them  that 
are  incomplete  suffered  through  external  circumstances,  such  as 

'Bern  113. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  9 

rough  handling  after  being  written,  and  seldom  through  conscious 
alteration  by  scribes.  Thus,  what  is  missing  in  MS.  B.  can  be 
supplied  from  the  other  MSS. 

THE  ADDITIONAL  MATTER  FOUND  IN  MSS.  O  AND  P. 

Pot.,  p.  235  ff.,  is,  in  a  way,  a  continuation  of  Ga wain's  adven- 
ture with  the  two  damsels  of  the  Tent,  related  on  pp.  61—71.  This 
episode  is  incomplete  in  B,  and  we  must  supply  between  the  words 
devisse  and  li  rois  artus  (p.  238,  1.  11)  a  passage  from  O  or  P1 
in  order  to  complete  it.  The  same  episode  is  found  in  the  Welsh 
version  (W),  and  there  the  passage  missing  from  B  is  also  given  in 
full,  although  the  Welsh  scribe,  or  the  scribe  of  his  source,  cut 
the  narrative  severely  toward  the  end  of  the  episode.  The  episode 
may  be  called  that  of  the  Cercle  d'or. 

An  English  synopsis  by  me  of  the  Welsh  and  Potvin  text  will 
be  found  in  the  ensuing  pages.  When  the  two  disagree,  I  point  out 
in  what  the  disagreement  consists.  Where  the  omission  occurs  in 
B,  it  was  supplied  from  O  or  P ;  the  versions  in  these  two  MSS. 
were  reduced  to  one  version,  as  the  story  in  both  is  the  same. 

Arthur  and  Gawain,  riding  in  search  of  Lancelot,  meet  a  knight 
from  the  land  of  the  Cercle  d'or.  The  knight  tells  them  that  the 
queen  of  that  country,  whose  vassal  he  is,  is  in  great  distress 
because  she  has  been  robbed  of  the  famous  Cercle  d'or,  which 
Perceval  gave  her  after  he  had  won  it  from  the  Chevalier  au 
dragon  (Nabiganz).  The  Cercle  is  now  offered  as  the  prize  of  a 
tournament  which  will  be  held  near  the  Tent  where  Gawain 
removed  the  Evil  Custom.  The  knight  says  that  Nabiganz  is 
on  his  way  thither  to  win  it  back. 

After  parting  with  the  knight  the  King  and  Gawain  go  to  the 
Tent,  which  they  find  furnished  as  Gawain  had  found  it  on  his 
previous2  visit.  They  at  once  make  use  of  all  the  comforts  of  the 
Tent ;  wherefore,  however,  they  are  reproached  soon  after  by  the 
two  damsels  to  whom  the  tent  belongs.  The  older  of  the  damsels, 
particularly,  is  angry  with  Gawain  for  having  previously  spurned 

1  Cf.  above.  *  Pot.,  p.  66. 


10  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

her  love.  Gawain  seeks  to  excuse  his  present  conduct  by  saying 
that  since  the  Evil  Custom  has  ceased  the  Tent  should  be  open 
to  all  knights. 

The  visitors  are  then  told  that  the  tournament  for  which  they 
have  come  will  last  three  days.  The  younger  damsel  begs  Arthur 
to  be  her  knight  in  the  tournament.  As  a  mark  of  courtesy, 
Arthur  agrees  to  her  request,  but,  to  conceal  his  identity,  he  calls 
himself  Arthur  of  Tincarduel.  The  next  day,  which  is  the  time 
set  for  the  tournament,  the  older  damsel  obtains  Gawain's  promise 
to  fight  for  her.  She  stipulates,  however,  that  he  is  not  to  let 
anyone  know  who  he  is;  for  this  reason  she  gives  him  a  suit  of 
red  armor.  The  color  of  Arthur's  armor,  which  is  given  him  by 
the  younger  damsel,  is  gold. 

Meantime  the  bearer  of  the  Cercle  d'or  has  arrived  at  the  Tentr 
as  well  as  Nabiganz  and  many  other  knights ;  the  ranks  are  then 
drawn  up  for  combat  (I'asanblee  estoit  devisse). 

[O  and  P.] 

Before  the  jousts  begin  the  younger  damsel  exhorts  Arthur  to 
use  his  arms  well  in  her  behalf,  as  they  are  the  handsomest  and 
best  of  any.  Arthur  says  he  relies  on  God  to  help  him.  The 
older  damsel  repeats  her  instructions  to  Gawain,  adding  that  on 
his  return  he  must  be  ready  to  do  her  pleasure.  Gawain  thanks 
her  and  then  rides  forth  with  Arthur,  amidst  the  cheers  of  the 
damsels. 

On  the  field  the  two  knights  fight  like  lions.  The  horses  of 
those  whom  they  vanquish  they  send  to  the  damsels.  Gawain 
has  an  encounter  with  Nabiganz  and  unhorses  him.  Arthur  is 
as  brave  as  Gawain,  so  that  none  excell  the  pair.  When  the 
tournament  is  called  for  the  day,  they  are  commonly  admitted  to 
be  the  victors.  The  other  knights  proclaim  Gawain  un  mout  bons 
chevaliers. 

At  the  Tent,  the  victorious  knights  are  hailed  with  delight  by 
the  damsels  and  their  dwarf.  After  eating  Gawain  and  Arthur 
go  straight  to  bed.  In  the  morning  the  damsels  come  to  their 
bedside.  Now  the  older  damsel  reminds  Gawain  of  a  promise  he 
recently  gave  the  Roi  de  la  Gale;  to  wit,  to  comply  with  the  first 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  11 

request  that  any  damsel  should  thereafter  make  of  him.  Thus  she 
bids  him  be  the  worst  knight  that  day  at  the  tournament  and 
wear  his  own  armor  so  that  all  may  recognize  him.  The  king's 
armor  on  this  day  is  azure. 

The  knights  line  up,  and  the  jousts  are  continued  (li  renc  estoit 
devisse). 

[Pot.] 

Arthur  is  as  valiant  as  on  the  first  day.  Gawain,  however,  yields 
to  his  opponents.  When  attacked  by  Nabiganz  he  draws  under 
the  shelter  of  Arthur's  blows.  His  conduct,  fills  the  King  with 
shame.  In  the  evening  the  dwarf  of  the  damsels  jeers  at  Gawain. 
The  judges  of  the  tourney  do  not  know  whom  to  proclaim  victor 
as  the  Red  Knight  and  the  Gold  Knight  apparently  were  not 
present  on  the  second  day.  To  the  King's  advice  to  do  better  when 
the  contest  is  resumed,  Gawain  replies  that  he  must  obey  the 
damsel  as  long  as  he  is  in  her  power.1 

On  the  third  and  last  day  of  the  tournament  Gawain  and  Arthur 
are  allowed  to  go  forth  as  they  did  on  the  first  day,  except  that 
Gawain  wears  the  gold  armor  and  Arthur  the  red.  Gawain  is  now 
as  bold  as  ever,  and  conquers  all  his  opponents;  in  a  tilt  with 
Nabiganz  he  strikes  him  from  his  horse.  The  King  purposely 
holds  back — li  contes  dist — so  that  Gawain  may  have  the  prize. 
Thus,  when  the  tournament  ends,  the  Gold  Knight  (Gawain)  is 
declared  to  be  the  winner  of  the  Cercle. 

The  damsels  joyously  welcome  Gawain,  whom,  however,  no  one 
has  recognized  because  of  the  gold  armor.  The  dwarf,  who  knows 
Gawain  only  from  the  fight  on  the  second  day,  maintains  that  the 
Gold  Knight  is  superior  to  Gawain,  le  Couart.  At  night  the  Damsels 
offer  the  King  and  Gawain  favors  but  are  rebuked  and  told  to  be 
virtuous.  At  this  the  damsels  grow  angry  and  plan  to  do  them 
injury,  but  desist  from  this  intent  as  Gawain  has  promised  to 
restore  the  Cercle  to  the  Queen  of  the  Cercle  d'or,  the  mistress  of 
the  damsels.  Moreover,  the  damsels  are  satisfied  that  Gawain 
keeps  his  word.  At  daybreak  the  King  and  Gawain  leave  the 
Tent  for  further  search  of  Lancelot.2 

1  The  Welsh  text  breaks  off  here. 

a  At  this  point  the  Welsh  text  resumes  the  narrative  and  continues  parallel  to 
the  B  version. 


12  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

From  a  perusal  of  this  episode,  which  I  have  given  thus  at 
length,  we  see  that  it  was  added  to  the  preceding  one  of  the  Tent 
as  an  evidence  of  Gawain's  fidelity  and  courtesy.  The  story  is 
filled  with  a  spirit  of  self-denial.  The  tournament  described  lasts 
three  days.  On  the  first  and  third  days  Gawain  (who  is  the 
important  person)  wears  other  armor  than  his  own ;  not  being 
recognized  by  his  opponents,  his  deeds  cannot  possibly  redound 
to  his  personal  glory.  On  the  second  day  he  is  compelled  as 
an  outcome  of  a  promise  to  put  on  his  own  armor  and  to  play 
the  part  of  a  coward.  When  we  consider  Gawain's  character  in 
the  romance  the  test  is  not  an  easy  one  for  him  to  stand.  Not 
only  does  it  require  considerable  self-control  for  so  valiant  a 
knight  as  he,  willingly  to  yield  in  the  tournament,  but  the 
shame  of  the  situation  is  increased  by  the  fact  that  he  is  not 
allowed  to  retrieve  his  honor  on  the  third  day  by  fighting  under  his 
own  name. 

Now,  the  story  of  the  first  day  and  of  the  beginning  of  the  second 
day,  on ,  which  the  damsel  reminds  Gawain  of  his  promise,  con- 
stitutes the  passage  wanting  in  B.1  However,  a  few  pages  further 
on 2  we  find  an  indication  that  such  an  account  went  before.  What 
else  should  the  author  refer  to  by  the  words :  Li  chevalier  distrent 
a  leur  ostiex  cor  ne  savoient  il  qui  doner  le  cercle  d'or,  puis  que  li 
chevaliers  aux  armes  d'or,  et  oil  aux  armes  vermeilles  n'i  estoient. 
Quar  il  furent  li  mielz  feissant  le  premerein  jor  de  Vasanblee,  when 
only  one  day's  tournament  had  been  related  ?  Likewise,  in  the 
passage  immediately  preceding  the  combat,  the  damsel  gives  Gawain 
armes  vermeilles,  with  the  words  :  gardez  qu'eles  soient  bien  anploiies 
neje  ne  veuil  que  vos  ne  soiiez  mie  conneus  aux  armes. 

It  is  necessary  to  call  attention  here  to  another  point  in  the  later 
history  of  this  episode.  The  episode  is  mentioned  in  Sir  Frederick 
Madden's  Syr  Gawayne?  though  in  connection  with  the  Queste 
(Qaete)  del  Saint  Graal.  After  a  few  remarks  on  the  relation  of  the 
Quete  to  the  Prose  Lancelot,  in  which  Madden  says  that  Perceval, 
Gawayne,  Lancelot  and  his  son  Galaad,  are  the  knights  celebrated 
in  the  Quete,  the  following  occurs  :  "  the  exploits  of  Gawayne  are 
marked  (here)  by  singular  love  of  peril,  determination,  valor,  gen- 

1  p.  238.  *  p.  239.  3  London,  1839 ;  p.  xix. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  13 

erosity  and  courage.  His  adherence  to  the  laws  of  knighthood 
is  tried  severely  more  than  once,  especially  at  the  tournament 
against  Nabigan  de  la  Roche,1  where,  in  consequence  of  a  vow 
taken  to  grant  the  first  request  made  of  him,  he  is  enjoined  to 
act  the  part  of  a  coward,  and  sustains  unmoved  the  jeers  of  the 
assembly."2 

From  this  reference,  and  from  the  fact  that  no  such  episode  as 
that  mentioned  by  Madden  occurs  in  Furnivall's  edition  or  the 
Hengwrt  MS.  Quete,3  it  is  obvious  that  Madden's  idea  of  the  Quete 
embraced  several  works  and  not  the  single  romance  which  we 
designate  by  that  name.  The  fact  was  mentioned  before  that 
Paulin  Paris  had  identified  the  contents  of  MS.  P  with  Le  second 
volume  du  St.  Graal,  contenante  la  conqueste  du  .  .  .  St.  Graal 
faicte  par  lancelot,  etc.,  Paris,  galiot  du  Pre,  1516  petit  in  fo. 
Wechssler,  too,4  says  the  Perlesvaus  and  the  Quete  were  published 
together  in  early  texts.  He  cites  an  edition  of  1523  by  Philippe  le 
Noir,  Paris;5  which  contains  the  Livre  del  Graal,  the  Perlesvaus 
and  the  Quete.  Moreover,  the  Welsh  text  follows  the  Quete  in 
the  Hengwrt  MS.  In  the  Paris  library  there  are  two  incunabula 
containing  the  Perlesvaus.  The  one  is  the  work  referred  to  by 
P.  Paris,6  and  the  other  is  a  later  edition  of  this,  bearing  the  date 
1523  (nouuellement  imprime  a  Paris,  par  Phelippe  le  noir  libraire 
et  relieur  iure  en  Luniversite  de  Paris);  that  is,  the  edition  which 
Wechssler  knew.  It  is  practically  certain,  therefore,  that  Mad- 
den's  reference  to  Vol.  II  of  a  1516  edition  is  the  work  which 
Paris  had  in  mind,  and  that,  by  using  the  title  of  Queste  (Quete) 

1  The  italics  are  mine. 

*  For  this  episode  Madden  refers  us  in  a  note  (op.  cit.,  p.  xix)  to  vol.  u,  f.  183, 
ed.  1516  (of  the  Quele). 

3  The  Welsh  text.  4 1.  c. 

5  Though  the  title  page  of  the  1516  edition  mentions  only  the  name  of  Galiot 
du  Pre,  the  colophon  adds  that  of  Michd  le  Noir:  nouuellement  imprime  a  Paris, 
Par  Jehan  petit  yaliol  du  pre  et  michel  le  noir  Libraires  demourans  a  Paris;  cf. 
the  title  page  which  reads:  lesqlz  liures  ne  furent  iamais  imprimez  iusques  a 
present. 

8  A  number  of  copies  from  these  two  editions  were  sold  at  good  prices  between 
(he  years  1784  and  1836.  A  list  of  these  sales  is  given  by  Francisque  Michel 
in  the  preface  to  his  edition  of  the  metrical  Joseph  (.Roman  du  St,  Graal,  Bor- 
deaux, 1841). 


14  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

for  the  whole  work,  Madden  failed  to  distinguish  between  the 
Quete  proper  and  the  Perlesvaus. 

To  revert  to  the  episode  of  the  Cercle  d'or,  we  see  clearly  from 
the  above  that  the  portion  missing  from  the  Brussels  MS.  is  essen- 
tial to  the  episode.  An  omission  of  this  nature  must  have  been 
due  to  accident.  The  episode,  when  originally  committed  to 
writing,  was  complete;  hence  the  loss  occurred  through  careless 
handling  of  a  MS.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  MS.  O  the 
lost  portion  covers  three  columns,  while  in  P  it  covers  five.  The 
relation  in  size  of  the  three  MSS.  to  one  another  is  as  follows  : 

(a)  O,  88  if.,  four  columns,  forty -seven  lines. 

(6)  P,  158  ff.,  four  columns,  forty  lines. 

(c)  B,  112ff.,  four  columns,  forty  lines. 

It  can  be  approximately  calculated  that  if  the  missing  passage 
covers  three  columns  in  O  and  five  in  P,  it  must  have  extended 
over  about  four  columns  in  B.  But  four  columns  are  equivalent 
to  one  folio.  Then  the  problem  would  be  solved  if  it  could  be 
shown  that  a  folio  had  been  lost  from  B.  This,  however,  is  not 
possible ;  the  missing  passage  could  not  have  occupied  one  folio  by 
itself  in  B.,  as  the  point  where  it  would  now  have  to  be  inserted * 
is  not  at  the  end  of  a  folio,  but  in  the  middle  of  one.  At  this 
point,  moreover,  the  scribe  gives  us  no  hint  that  he  was  aware  of 
an  omission. 

Nevertheless,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  if  a  folio  is 
not  lost  in  the  Brussels  MS.,  such  was  the  case  with  the  MS.  of 
which,  I  hold,  it  is  a  copy.  The  Brussels  MS.  seems  to  belong  to  the 
second  half  of  the  thirteenth  century,2  and  between  that  date  and 
the  possible  date  of  the  composition  of  the  romance 3  there  is  ample 
time  to  justify  the  assumption  of  other  MSS.  The  text  before  the 
omission  concludes  with  the  words,  I'asanblee  estoit  devisse,  and 
the  omitted  portion  itself  ends,  li  renc  estoit  devisse;  so  that  the 
text  after  the  omission  might  be  joined  to  either  ending  without 
an  apparent  break  in  the  argument.  The  Brussels  scribe  did  not 
find  the  latter  ending  (li  renc  estoit  devisse),  but  not  seeing  any 

1  Folio  76  a,  thirteen  lines  from  the  bottom. 

8  The  writing  is  of  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century. 

3  Cf.  below. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  15 

difficulty  in  passing  from  the  folio  ending  I'asanblee  estoit  devisse 
to  li  rois  Artus  fieri  des  esperons,  etc.,  it  did  not  occur  to  him 
that  a  folio  was  missing. 

Strictly  speaking,  the  Welsh  text  gives  in  full  only  the  first 
day's  combat,  the  instructions  of  the  damsel  as  to  how  Gawain 
is  to  comport  himself  on  the  second  day,  and  a  brief  account  of 
how  Gawain  carried  them  out.  The  third  day's  tournament  is 
not  related.1 

ON  THE  RELATION  OP  THE  MANUSCRIPTS. 

Allowing  for  the  loss  of  a  folio 2  from  the  body  of  the  Welsh 
text,  we  may  safely  say  that  three  of  our  MSS.  have  come  down  to 
us  practically  unchanged  in  form  and  matter  since  they  were 
written.  These  are  the  MS.  in  the  Brussels  library,  that  at  Oxford, 
and  the  Welsh  text ;  the  last  forming  part  of  the  so-called  Hengwrt 
MS.  In  the  circumstances,  it  is  remarkable  that  each  of  these  MSS. 
should  end,  if  not  in  a  different  way,  at  least  at  a  different  place  in 
the  narrative.  The  Brussels  MS.  is  the  longest,  going  fifteen  lines 
beyond  MS.  O.  And  the  Welsh  text  (W)  is  the  shortest,  lacking 
the  whole  last  branch  except  the  description  of  how  the  Grail  castle 
fell  to  the  care  of  "  two  knights  from  Wales,"  after  the  Grail  had 
been  taken  away  and  the  place  became  enveloped  in  mystery, 
a  description  which  gives  the  romance  an  ending  without  bringing 
in  Perceval's  visit  to  the  island  of  the  monks. 

The  romance  proper  concludes  with  the  words  with  which  the 
Welsh  text  leaves  off.  MSS.  O  and  B  bestow  the  blessing  of  Joseph 
upon  all  who  hear  it,  and  say  further  that  the  Latin  work  from  which 
it  was  translated  into  Romance  was  found  in  the  isle  of  Avalon, 
41  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  good  religious  men,  who  are 
there,  and  who  have  the  entire  story  from  the  beginning  unto  the 
end."  With  this  the  Oxford  text  closes.  B,  however,  adds: 
"After  this  follows  the  tale  relating  the  union  of  Brians  and 

1  The  relation  of  the  Welsh  text  to  the  Oxford  MS.  I  hope  to  bring  out 
eventually  in  a  separate  publication.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  Welsh 
translator  had  difficulty  in  reading  French  and  hence  omitted  the  passages 
that  were  hard  for  him  to  translate. 

'Namely,  folio  177;  cf.  Rev.  Kobt.  Williams,  op.  cit.,  p.  615. 


16  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Claudas  against  Arthur.  How  Galobrus  of  the  Red  Land  came 
to  the  court  to  aid  Lancelot,  being  of  his  lineage.  This  tale  is 
long  and  full  of  adventure  but  the  book  will  close  now  until  some 
other  time."  Then,  at  the  end  :  "  The  lord  of  Cambrai  had  this 
book  written  for  the  lord  of  Neel.  Once  before  only  it  was  trans- 
lated into  Romance,  but  this  (translation)  is  so  old,  one  can  hardly 
make  out  the  letters.  And  may  the  lord  Johan  de  Neele  know 
that  he  must  keep  this  tale  pure  nor  ought  it  to  be  told  to  evil- 
thinking  people,  for  a  good  thing  that  is  spread  among  bad  people 
is  never  recorded  faithfully."  The  incunabula  containing  the 
Perlesvaus  break  off  at  the  same  point  at  which  "W  ends. 

The  facts  we  learn  from  B  :  that  the  romance  was  translated  once 
before  and  that  the  present  copy  was  intended  for  the  seigneur  de 
Neele,  are  interesting,  and  the  last  one  especially  may  be  of 
use  when  we  come  to  consider  the  question  of  authorship.  For 
the  present,  it  is  sufficient  to  state  that  I  know  of  no  other  refer- 
ence in  any  of  the  MSS.,  including  MS.  B,  which  leads  one  to  believe 
that  the  romance,  as  we  have  it,  was  a  second  translation  from  the 
Latin.  If  all  of  the  known  French  MSS.  represented  a  second 
translation  from  the  Latin,  it  is  curious  that  the  scribe  of  B  should 
be  the  only  one  to  mention  the  fact;  and,  moreover,  why  is  it  not 
noted  in  the  body  of  the  text  ?  A  reference  to  it  would  have  been 
very  appropriate,  for  example  on  page  306  (Potvin)  :  Josephus  nos 
dist,  por  I'escriture  qui  le  nos  recorde  de  quoi  cist  estoires  fu  traites  de 
latin  en  roumanz,  que  nus  ne  doit  estre  en  doutance  que  ces  aventures 
avenissent  a  eel  tans  an  la  Grant  Breteigneiet  an  tons  les  autres 
roiaumes.1 

On  this  point,  P  and  C  unfortunately  throw  no  light.  But  it  is 
of  value  to  remember  that  a  MS.  was  postulated  as  anterior  to  B,  of 
which  B  was  supposed  to  be  a  copy.  Freymond2  and  Heinzel3 
presumably  knowing  the  text  of  the  Perlesvaus  only  as  it  is  pub- 
lished, agree,  from  the  ending,  that  the  romance  once  formed 
part  of  a  large  cycle  of  romances.  A  conclusion  of  this  sort  is 
being  reached  with  most  all  of  the  Arthurian  prose-romances  we 
possess.  Heinzel  thinks  that  the  Perlesvaus  was  followed  by  a  sort 

1  Of.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  vol.  I,  p.  218.  »  Cf.  Zffup.,  xvil,  2. 

3  Cf.  below. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  17 

of  Lancelot  in  which  the  events  of  the  other  war  against  Arthur 
are  found  which  the  scribe  of  B  did  not  have  room  to  add.  Could 
not  our  postulated  MS.  have  been  the  Perlesvaus  part  of  the  cycle  ? 
Then,  the  scribe  of  B  (or  of  a  MS.  of  which  B  is  a  faithful  copy) 1 
copied  it  and,  in  order  to  obtain  credit  and  credence  for  the  facts 
he  narrated,  he  falsely  claimed  to  have  made  a  fresh  translation 
from  the  Latin. 

Whether  it  is  permissible  to  put  faith  in  what  he  says  about  the 
illegibility  of  the  first  translation,  which  would  belong  to  the  cycle, 
is  hard  to  say.  The  fact  that  he  apparently  detected  no  hitch  in 
the  episode  of  the  Cerde  d'or,  when  he  copied  it,  might  argue 
against  such  an  assumption ;  or  was  the  folio  really  illegible, 
perhaps  partially  destroyed,  and  did  the  scribe  of  B  attempt  to 
palliate  this  defect  so  as  to  conceal  his  omission  ?  However  that 
may  be,  since  the  other  MSS.  (O  and  "W)  have  a  better  version  of  the 
episode  than  the  version  in  B,  it  is  possible  that  they  are  nearer 
to  the  original  text  than  B,  which  was  an  excerpt  made  from  a 
cycle  of  romances  for  the  seigneur  de  Neele.  Thus,  the  Oxford 
group  (W  and  O)  might  be  derived  from  the  MS.  which  was  the 
original  of  the  source  of  B. 

But  no  matter  how  far  back  we  go,  the  fact  remains  that  the 
Perlesvaw  is  not  complete  in  itself  but  must  have  belonged  to 
a  cycle ;  the  wars  of  Arthur  are  not  over,  Claudas  and  Brians 
are  still  at  large  and  overshadow  the  King's  triumph.  The 
only  way  in  which  we  could  suppose  that  the  Perlesvaus  began 
and  ended  where  it  now  does  would  be  to  assume  that  the 
wars  of  Brians  against  Arthur  were  interpolated  into  it  from 
some  other  romance.  As  yet  we  have  no  work  to  which  they 
can  conscientiously  be  traced.2  The  chief  difficulty  is  that  all 
the  MSS.  are  so  much  alike  that  they  cannot  be  grouped  ac- 
cording to  their  points  of  disagreement.  Doubtless,  if  they 
were  carefully  collated  and  the  language  of  each  were  studied, 
much  of  the  uncertainty  would  be  removed.  Thus  far,  how- 

1  It  may  be  necessary  to  postulate  this  intermediate  stage,  cf.  below. 

*  Cf.,  in  addition  to  the  references  given  by  Heinzel  ( Ueber  die  franzoesischen 
Gralromane,  Wien,  1892),  p.  177,  Perceval,  v.  33615  ffi,  for  a  war  between  Arthur 
and  Carras  and  Claudas. 


18  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

ever,  a  satisfactory  showing  of  the  MS.  relations  does  not  seem 
possible. 

At  present  the  following  points  are  deducible : 

(a)  The  dedication  to  Jean  de  Nesle  is,  as  we  have  seen,  found 
only  in  the  Brussels  MS.,  and  as  the  Brussels  MS.  is  not  the  original 
MS.,  this  dedication  does  not  appear  to  have  been  originally  attached 
to  the  romance. 

(6)  Hence  no  importance  is  to  be  given  to  the  statement  that 
this  is  a  second  translation  from  the  Latin.  Evidently,  the 
original  of  the  present  form  of  the  romance  was  not  so  regarded, 
but  only  the  copy  presented  to  Jean  de  Nesle. 

(c)  The  incunabula,  which,  by  the  way,  possess   the  episode 
of  the  Cercle  d'Or  in  full,  probably  owe  their  version  of  Per- 
lesvaus to  MS.  P.     It  could  not  have  been  taken  from  B  for  the 
very  fact  that  B  lacks  the  complete  form  of  this  episode.     We 
cannot  look  upon  O  as  its  source,  as  the  incunabula  have  the 
very  distinctive  ending  of  the  Welsh  text,  which  ending  is  quite 
different  from  that  of  O ;  at  the  same  time  the  Welsh  text  was 
not  the  source,1  as  it  contains  only  a  part  of  the  episode  of  the 
Cercle  d'Or.      The   incompleteness  of  C  and  of  the  Bern   MS. 
speaks  for  itself.      Moreover,  it  is  natural  to  assume  that  the 
incunabula  were  reprinted  from  a  MS.  in  the  city  of  Paris.     The 
form  of  P  does  not  permit  us  to  regard  this  MS.  as  a  part  of  the 
cycle  in  which  the  Perlesvaus  was  originally  incorporated;    the 
Quete  follows  Perlesvaus  in  the  incunabula,  and  we  have  no  in- 
dication that  it  was  substituted  for  a  Lancelot  (the  romance  which 
is  thought  to  have  followed  the  Perlesvaus  in  the  cycle).     The 
appearance  of  the   Livre  del  Graal,  Perlesvaus  and   Quete  under 
one  cover  I  consider  to  be  an  arrangement  of  the  publisher,  who, 
possibly,  was  led  to  it  from  a  mercenary  point  of  view. 

(d)  If  the  incunabula  thus  partly  represent  the  Paris  MS.,  the 
conclusion  of  the  latter  can  be  supplied  from  them.     This  is  said, 
with  some  reservation,  as  the  sixteenth  century  publisher  may  have 
seen  fit  to  change  a  point  or  two  in  the  wording  of  his  text,  but 

1This,  of  course,  leaves  open  the  possibility  that  the  incunabula  were  derived 
from  the  source  of  W ;  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  this  source  can  be  identified 
with  P. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  19 

the  general  agreement  of  his  text,  at  the  close,  with  W  would 
serve  to  show  that  he  did  not  depart  here  to  any  extent  from  his 
original. 

NOTE. — A  word  seems  appropriate  here  in  reference  to  the  fragments  of  the 
Perlesvaus  in  Berne  113,  especially  as  Stengel  says  the  variants  given  by  Potvin 
"  ne  sono  tutte  ne  sempre  esatte."  True  as  this  may  be,  for  Potvin  does  make 
mistakes,  it  is  hardly  possible  that  he  overlooked  any  important  variation  in  the 
narrative,  as  he  collated  the  fragments  word  for  word  with  his  own  text  (cf. 
Potvin,  op.  cit.,  vol.  i).  Dr.  E.  C.  Armstrong  (of  Johns  Hopkins  University) 
kindly  went  over  these  fragments  for  me  in  1896  and  found  no  interruption 
in  the  argument,  showing  that  no  serious  omissions  occur  in  the  fragments 
themselves. 


LITERATURE  CONNECTED  WITH  THE 
PERLESVAUS. 


In  the  main,  the  researches  of  previous  writers  with  respect  to 
the  Perlesvaus  cluster  about  the  following  points  : 
(a)  The  nature  and  origin  of  the  romance ; 
(6)  The  relationship  of  the  romance  to  the  other  works  of  the 
Grail  cycle ; 

(c)  The  affinity  of  the  Perlesvaus  with  other  literature  than  that 

included  by  (6) ; 

(d)  The  date  of  composition  of  the  Perlesvaus  ; 

(e)  The  derivation,  date,  etc.,  of  the  special  text  (MS.  B.)  pre- 
sented to  Jean  de  Nesle. 

I  shall  state  now  in  chronological  order  and  with  reference,  as 
far  as  possible,  to  these  five  points,  the  views  that  have  been  brought 
forward  concerning  the  romance ;  then  I  shall  take  up  these  views- 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  stated  and  comment  on  them. 

PREVIOUS  VIEWS  ON  THE  PERLESVAUS. 

Although  Sir  Fred.  Madden  *  and  the  Grimms 2  evidently  knew 
the  Perlesvaus  from  the  incunabula  in  which  it  was  published,  the 
first  writer  to  submit  the  romance  to  an  examination  was  Ch.  Pot- 
vin  in  the  introduction  to  his  edition  of  the  Conte  du  Graal  and 
Perlesvaus? 

According  to  Potvin  the  works  of  the  Grail  legend  may  be 
divided  into  three  groups  : 

I.  Those  previous  to  the  eleventh  century  (either  previously 
committed  to  writing  or  merely  traceable  in  origin  to  a  period 

ll.  e.  *Cf.  Altdeutsehe  Wadder,  Vol.  i,  Cassel,  1813,  p.  2. 

1  Cf.  above,  p.  1. 
20 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  21 

previous  to  1000  A.  D.),  which  represent  national  legends  of  the 
•conquered  Britons ; 

II.  Those  of  the  eleventh  century,  representing  the  introduction 
of  Christianity  into  Britain  and  the  rise  of  a  church  militant  spirit ; 

III.  Those  of  the  twelfth  century,  which  culminate  in  the  chiv- 
alric  epic.     The  Perlesvaus  belongs  to  the  second  group  and  owes  its 
origin  (a)   to  the  religious  dissentions  in  England  between  the 
Saxons,  converts  to  Roman  Christianity,  and  the  Britons,  adher- 
ents of  the  heretic  Irish  Church.     The  Grail  and  the  Lance,  we 
are  told,  were  originally  the  national  emblems  of  the  Britons. 
As  such  they  were  cherished  even  after  the  Britons  had  accepted 
Christianity  from  the  Irish.     Finally,  through  the  influence  of  St. 
Augustine  and  his  followers,  they  were  identified  with  Christian 
relics  (those  of  Calvary),  and  thus  they  became  symbols  of  the 
Church.     In  the  Perlesvaus,  they  are  the  special  insignia  of  the 
true  faith  and  the  bone  of  contention  between  Saxon  and  British 
Christians.      The  theme  of  the  romance  is  clearly  indicated  in 
the  words  :    effacer  la  mauvaise  loi  et  exhausser  la  loi  nouvelle ;  l 
Perceval  is  the  champion  of  the  true  faith,  and   his  mission  is 
to  overcome  and  convert  the  infidels ;   viz.,  the  heretic  Britons. 
Many  of  the   distinguishing   features  of   the  romance    are    ex- 
plained in  the  light  of  this  mission :   the  chastity  and  austerity 
of  the  hero  (Perceval),  the  absence  of  love  scenes,  the  wars  of 
massacre  and  ruin,  the  pitiless  treatment  of  the  vanquished,  etc. 

As  regards  the  second  point  (6),  Potvin  classes  the  Perlesvaus 
with  the  Grand  St.  Graal  and  the  Prose  Merlin  on  account  of  its 
religious  trend  and  the  type  of  adventures  it  relates.  He  thinks 
the  Grand  St.  Graal  and  the  Prose  Merlin,  although  composed  late, 
are  much  akin  in  spirit  to  the  groundwork  of  the  Grail  legend. 
It  would  thus  seem  to  Potvin  that  there  once  existed  a  Grail  cycle 
which  had  three  parts,  as  follows :  (1)  Graal,  which  related  the 
origin  of  the  relic ;  (2)  Merlin,  celebrating  the  national  struggle 
of  the  Britons  against  the  Romans  and  early  Saxons  ;  (3)  Perceval, 
depicting  the  civil  war  for  religion  and  the  triumph  of  Christianity. 

The  Quete,  which  agrees  with  the  Perlesvaus  in  also  haying 
three  heroes  but  only  one  perfect  knight  (Galaad),  was  not  a  source 

1  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  I,  p.  16. 


22  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

of  the  Perlesvaus  but  rather  itself  modelled  upon  our  romance- 
The  reasons  given  for  this  conclusion  are :  that  in  the  r6le  of  a 
Grail  hero,  Perceval  antedates  Galaad ;  that  Lancelot  in  the  Quete 
is  unfaithful  to  his  traditional  love  for  Guenevere;  and  that 
Galaad's  illegitimate  birth  and  his  spotless  life  (in  the  Quete)  are 
contradictions  which  one  would  not  expect  to  find  in  an  early 
treatment  of  the  Grail  legend.  The  Perceval  (Conte  du  Graal) 
Potvin  places  in  the  third  period  of  the  development  of  Grail 
works.  The  Norman  conquest  effected  by  degrees  the  transforma- 
tion of  the  ecclesiastical  romances  into  the  epic  of  chivalry,  and 
in  the  hands  of  the  court  poet,  Crestien  de  Troyes,  the  Perlesvaus 
or,  at  any  rate,  materials  from  it,  took  shape  as  the  Perceval. 

The  third  point  (c)  Potvin  does  not  consider.  As  for  (d),  it  has 
already  been  mentioned  that  Potvin  places  the  composition  of  the 
romance  in  the  eleventh  century.  The  author's  (sc.  the  scribe 
of  B)  word  may  be  accepted  that  the  work  was  fashioned  after  an 
old  Latin  book,  written  by  Joseph,  le  bon  clerc,  which  had  been 
previously  translated  into  French.1  This  translation,  Potvin 
assumes,  was  made  at  the  time  when  Hildebrand  was  striving  for 
the  rights  of  the  church  and  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy ;  that  is, 
a  short  while  after  the  Latin  original  was  composed,  during  the 
eleventh  century.  Our  present  copy  (e)  the  bishop  of  Cambrai 
had  made  for  Jean  de  Nesle,  castellan  of  Bruges,  in  the  hope 
of  arousing  interest  in  the  crusades.  Villehardouin  puts  Jean  de 
Nesle  among  those  who  took  the  cross  in  1200;  Rudolfus  de 
Niceto  makes  the  castellan  of  Bruges  and  the  bishop  of  Cambrai 
appear  in  1189  before  St.  John  of  Acre.  This  copy,  Potvin  argues, 
was  thus  made  toward  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century.  In  sub- 
stance, however,  it  is  similar  to  the  lost  Latin  version,  and  the 
spirit  of  the  work  contrasts  markedly  with  that  of  Crestien's  poem. 

The  next  writer  to  consider  the  Perlesvaus  was  M.  Hucher  in 
connection  with  one  of  the  prose  texts  which  he  edited  in  1875.2 
The  sura  of  his  remarks  in  regard  to  the  work  is  that  it  is  not  based 
on  the  Didot-Perceval  (the  text  he  is  editing),  and  that,  although 
containing  a  few  traces  of  Crestien's  Perceval,  it  is  largely  an  original 

1  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  I,  p.  306. 

1  Cf.  E.  Hucher :  Le  Saint  Qraal  ou  Le  Joseph  d'Arimathie,  Paris,  1875,  Vol.  I, 
p.  377. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  23 

production.  Zarnke,  who  in  1876  made  the  first  systematic  survey 
of  the  Grail  cycle,  has  scarcely  more  than  Hucher  to  say  concerning 
the  work.1  He  gives  the  following  grouping  of  the  romances  of 
the  Grail  cycle:  (1)  Joseph  of  Robert  de  Borron ;  (2)  Grand  St. 
Graal;  (3)  Quete ;  (4)  Perceval;  (5)  Continuations  of  the  Perce- 
val; (6)  Didot-Perceval ;  (7)  Perlesvaus.  The  Perlesvaus  is  put 
last  because  the  narrative  of  the  romance  (die  fabel)  presupposes 
the  Perceval  of  Crestien,  and  the  fact  that  the  work  is  ascribed  to 
an  angel  shows  the  influence  of  the  other  romances  of  the  cycle. 

More  elaborate  views  than  any  of  those  I  have  mentioned, 
appeared  a  year  later  (1877)  in  the  well-known  treatise  on  the 
Grail-legend  by  Zarnke's  pupil,  Birch-Hirschfeld.2  In  regard  to 
(a),  this  writer  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  work  belongs  to  a  class  of 
French  romances  whose  authors  tried  to  satisfy  their  readers  with  a 
hap-hazard  succession  of  adventures.  It  is  admitted,  however, 
that  the  Grail  forms  the  center  of  interest,  and  that  the 
action  is  placed  to  a  certain  extent  about  the  quest  of  the  Grail. 
The  second  point  (6)  is  treated  at  considerable  length,  and  forms 
really  the  burden  of  Birch-Hirschfeld's  investigation  of  the  subject. 

The  Perlesvaus  is  not  one  of  the  earliest  Grail  romances,  for  two 
main  reasons :  the  Perceval  of  Crestien  must  be  assumed  as 
antecedent  to  it ; 3  the  disconnected  references  in  it  to  the  Early 
History 4  of  the  Grail  show  that  the  author  was  acquainted  with 
a  work  in  which  that  particular  phase  of  the  legend  was  treated 
in  full.  The  following  borrowings  from  the  Perceval  are  claimed  : 

(1)  The  inquiry  of  the  boy  Perceval  about  knights.5 

(2)  His  departure  on  the  day  following  this  inquiry  :  Quant  vint 
Pendemain  la  matinee,  li  vallez  se  leva  et  oi  les  oisiaus  chanter,  et  se 
panssa  qu'il  iroit  deduire  an  la  forest  par  le  jour  qui  biaus  estoit, 
Compare  with  this  Crestien.6 

Et  cil  oisel  en  lor  latin 
Docement  content  au  matin. 

1  Cf.  Paul  and  Braune's  Beitraeye,  Vol.  III. 

'Die  Sage  vom  Oral,  Leipzig,  1877,  ch.  4. 

1  Cf.  below  for  proofs. 

4  Cf.  Nutt,  Studies  on  the  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail,  London,  1888  ;  p.  65. 

6  Potvin,  op.  tit.,  Vol.  i,  p.  20.  «V.  1285. 


24  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

(3)  Perceval  monta  sor  un  des  chaceors  son  pere  et  porta  ses 
gave(r}los  comme  galois.     Compare  Crestien : * 

De  Galois  fu  appareillies ; 
and  Ses  gaverlois  en  vot  porter.2 

(4)  Perceval's  meeting  with  two  knights,  the  one  in  red  armor, 
the  other  in  white ;  the  death  of  the  red  knight  (chevalier  vermeil). 
Cf.  the  Red  Knight  episode  in  the  Perceval. 

(5)  The  education  of  the  boy  in  solitude  and  his  utter  ignorance 
of  knighthood  ;  incidents  which  are  out  of  place  in  Perlesvaus  as 
the  hero's  father  is  still  living  when  he  leaves  home. 

(6)  The  fact  that  the  chief  characters  are  not  given  their  real 
names  but  are  known  by  appellativa  instead ;  as,  la  veve  dame,  li 
fiuz  la  veve  dame.3    All  additional  agreements  which  are  found 
between  the  Perceval  and  our  romance  can  thus  be  explained  by 
the  fact  that  the  latter  work  is  dependent  on  the  former.     The 
numerous  allusions  in  Perlesvaus  to  a  former  visit  of  Perceval  to 
the  Grail  Castle  are  best  explained  in  this  manner.4 

The  Continuations  of  Crestien's  poem  are  also  set  down  as  prior 
to  our  work.  Such,  according  to  Birch-Hirschfeld,  is  certainly 
the  case  with  those  of  Gautier  (Gautier  here  includes  Pseudo- 
Gautier)  and  Manessier,  and  probably  the  Continuation  of  Ger- 
bert.  To  Gautier  the  Perlesvaus  is  indebted  for:  (1)  the 
story  of  the  knight  whom  Lancelot  is  forced  to  behead ;  (2)  the 
wonderful  game  of  chess ;  (3)  the  hound  awaiting  Perceval  at  the 
Grail  Castle ;  (4)  the  figure  of  the  white  stag  on  Perceval's  shield. 
The  episode  of  the  Craven  Knight  (Chevalier  Couart)  must  be 
derived  from  the  Continuation  of  Manessier,  that  of  the  Dragon 
Knight  (Chevalier  au  Dragon)  from  the  Continuation  of  Gerbert. 
Birch-Hirschfeld  observes  that  in  general  the  episodes  taken  from 
these  two  continuators  are  found  classed  together  in  Perlesvaus. 
He  thinks  that  the  story  of  the  Beste  glapissante  and  that  of  the 
Priests  and  the  Cross  also  came  from  the  Gerbert  Continuation, 
though  the  author  of  the  Perlesvaus  reversed  the  sequence  of  the 

lv.  1797.  «v.  1801. 

1  These  names  show  that  the  hero's  father  died  in  the  course  of  the  story. 
4  Birch-Hirschfeld  thinks  that  the  Lance  was  not  originally  connected  with  the 
Grail,  Crestien  having  first  placed  them  together. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  25 

stories  (that  is,  Priests  and  Cross,  Beste  glapissante)  and  made 
them  practically  one  story  by  changing  the  allegory.  In 
Gerbert,  the  noisy  young  of  the  Beste  are  those  who  disturb 
the  church  (=  mother)  service  by  talking.  We  can  scarcely 
expect  to  find  in  the  prose  work,  he  says,  this  satirical  allusion 
to  circumstances  of  Gerbert's  own  lifetime.  Here  the  allegory 
refers  to  Christ  and  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  Jews,  with  which 
meaning  it  is  hard  to  reconcile  the  noisiness  of  the  young.  More- 
over, the  Beste  in  the  romance  seeks  refuge  at  the  cross  because 
the  above  change  of  allegory  necessitated  the  union  of  the  Beste 
story  with  that  of  the  Priests  and  the  Cross.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  German  critic  sees  no  valid  reason  why,  if  Gerbert  had  found 
these  stories  united,  he  should  have  separated  them  and  changed 
their  order. 

A  further  sign  that  our  romance  is  indebted  to  the  works  in 
question  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  the  versions  it  contains  of  the 
above  incidents  and  stories  differ  in  a  uniform  way  from  the  other 
versions  mentioned.  In  every  case  the  Perlesvaus  version  lacks 
the  clearness  and  force  of  the  corresponding  version  in  the  Perceval. 
It  is  thus  obvious  to  Birch-Hirschfeld  that  Crestien  and  his  con- 
tinuators  did  not  make  use  of  the  Perlesvaus  since  one  cannot 
assume  that  each  of  these  authors  would  have  treated  the  same 
source  in  just  the  same  way.  The  general  obscureness  of  the  Per- 
lesvaus versions,  however,  show  that  they  are  not  direct  copies,  but 
only  "reminiscences"  of  the  Perceval  versions. 

Furthermore,  the  Quete  and  the  Grand  St.  Graal  are  claimed  as 
probable  sources  of  the  romance.  Among  the  evidences  of  the 
Quete  in  it,  are  : 

(1)  The  white  shield  with  the  red  cross,  which  is  brought  to  the 
court  at  Pannenoiseuse,1  to  be  called  for  by  Perceval ;  cf.  in  the 
Quete,  the  shield  intended  for  Galaad. 

(2)  Perceval  is  destined  to  open  a  tomb  and  behold  a  dead 
knight  in  full  armor;2  cf.  Galaad  raises  the  slab  of  a  tomb  and 
finds  an  armed  knight  beneath. 

1  Birch-Hirschfeld  (p.  141)  says  Kamaalot,  but  this  is  a  mistake ;  cf.  Potvin,  op. 
«&.,  Vol.  i,  pp.  26  and  140. 

'  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cil.,  Vol.  I,  p.  179. 


26  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

(3)  Perceval's  uncle  is  called  Pelles ;  cf.  the  Fisher  King  in  the 
Quete  has  the  same  name. 

(4)  The  ship  in  which  Perceval  goes  to  various  islands  reminds 
one  of  Galaad's  ship. 

(5)  The  Perlesvaus  closes  with  Perceval's  departure  from  Great 
Britain  in  this  ship  never  to  return ;   cf.  the  conclusion  of  the 
Quete,  where  Galaad   leaves  in  like  manner  with  the  corpse  of 
Perceval's  sister. 

(6)  Lancelot  is  a  Grail  seeker;  cf.  the  Quete. 

(7)  Lancelot's  guilty  love  for  the  Queen  is  the  cause  of  his  not 
seeing  the  Grail  and  the  subject  of  several  sermons;  likewise  in 
the  Quete. 

But  the  dependence  of  the  Perlesvaus  on  the  Grand  St.  Graal 
is  hard  to  prove.1  The  name  Joseph,  the  fact  that  he  is  the 
first  to  celebrate  mass,  and  dictation  by  an  angel  claimed  as 
the  source  of  the  story,  are  traits  which  suggest  the  Grand 
St.  Graal.  Further,  Perceval's  zeal  to  convert  the  heathen 
at  any  cost  is  consistent  with  the  spirit  of  the  Grand  St. 
Graal.  The  tone  of  the  Perlesvaus  associates  it  most  with  the 
Quete :  the  hero  is  of  the  ascetic  type  and  we  miss  the  treatment 
of  love  common  to  many  Arthurian  romances.  Even  Gawain 
is  exemplary  in  this  respect,  the  author  evidently  wishing  to 
oppose  the  worldliness  of  Crestien's  heroes.  The  objection  that 
the  central  figure  of  the  Quete,  Galaad,  is  not  even  mentioned  is 
anticipated  by  the  statement  that  "  this  last  independent  attempt 
at  a  Grail  romance"  reinstated  Perceval  in  his  former  rights 
because  the  author  realized  him  to  be  the  traditional  Grail  seeker. 
To  support  this  statement  Birch -Hi  rschf eld  cites  the  claim  of 
our  author  that  he  is  giving  oldest  and  most  reliable  account  of 
the  Grail.2 

Nevertheless,  the  author  of  the  Perlesvaus  was  not  servile  to 
his  models ;  he  changed  his  material  freely  to  suit  his  own  tastes. 
The  character  of  the  sick  king  (Fisher  King),  for  instance,  who 
expects  to  be  healed  by  the  Grail  knight,  has  undergone  altera- 
tion. Here  his  illness  is  brought  on  by  the  failure  of  Perceval  to 

1  Birch-Hirschfeld,  however,  argues  thai  an  author  so  well  versed  in  Grail  works 
as  the  writer  of  Perlesvaus  could  not  have  been  ignorant  of  the  Grand  St.  QraaL 
*Cf.  Potvin,  op.  ciL,  Vol.  i,  p.  219. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.    •  27 

ask  the  question  concerning  the  Grail,  and  his  wish  to  see  his 
nephew,  the  Grail  knight,  is  not  fulfilled.  The  nature  of  these 
changes,  however,  is  thoroughly  in  keeping  with  the  fact  that  the 
Perlesvaus  is  the  latest  work  of  the  Grail  cycle. 

As  for  the  date  when  it  was  composed  (d),  Birch-Hirschfeld 
makes  no  distinction  between  this  and  (e),  the  date  of  the  special 
text  given  to  Jean  de  Nesle.  Accordingly,  he  is  of  the  opinion 
that  the  Perlesvaus  was  composed  after  Gerbert  wrote  his  Con- 
tinuation ;  that  is,  in  the  second  quarter  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
The  Jean  de  Nesle  mentioned  in  the  text  (B)  is  not  the  person  by 
this  name  that  died  before  Acre  in  1187,  but  rather  the  one  who 
sold  his  castellany  to  the  countess  of  Flanders  in  1225;  hence  the 
omission  of  the  title  chatelain  in  the  text.  Concerning  (c),  the 
German  scholar  has  nothing  to  say. 

Curiously  enough,  while  the  treatise  of  Birch-Hirschfeld  was 
challenged  on  a  number  of  points,  his  views  on  the  Perlesvaus, 
until  recently  went  unnoticed.  Even  in  Nutt's  Studies,1  which 
appeared  in  1886,  we  find  the  Perlesvaus  dismissed  with  the  asser- 
tion that  it  is  "  too  late  and  unoriginal "  to  be  of  use  in  a  study  of 
the  origin  of  the  Grail  legend.  In  a  review  of  Nutt's  book,2 
Gaston  Paris  protests  against  this  writer's  neglect  of  the  Perles- 
vaus. Paris  says  there :  "  II  (Nutt)  n'a  pas,  si  je  ne  me  trompe 
discerne1  la  vraie  place  du  roman  en  prose  de  Perlesvaus  (ou  de 
sa  source)  dans  1'ensemble  du  cycle,  et  il  en  a  mSconnu  1'importance 
et  la  date,  suivant  a  tort  en  ce  point  1'opinion  de  M.  Birch- 
Hirschfeld." 

In  La  litterature  frangaise  au  moyen  dge,3  we  have  a  brief  sum- 
mary of  Paris'  own  view  in  regard  to  the  work,  though  no  attempt 
is  made  to  substantiate  the  view.  Paris  thinks  the  romance  may 
have  existed  at  first  in  a  versified  form.  As  to  the  romances  with 
which  it  is  connected,  he  says  nothing  beyond  expressing  the  belief 
that  it  entered  largely  into  the  composition  of  the  original  Quete, 
and  that  the  primitive  prose  Lancelot  got  its  notion  of  the  Grail 
from  it.  However,  he  elsewhere  makes  the  statement 4  that  Lance- 
lot, being  known  from  the  Conte  de  la  Charrette  and  the  prose 

1  Op.  ciL,  p.  64.  J  Romania,  xvm,  588. 

•2nd  edition,  Paris,  1890,  p.  100,  102.  *  Op.  cit.,  p.  100. 


28  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Lancelot  as  the  lover  of  Guenevere,  cannot  conquer  the  Grail  in 
the  Perlesvaus  because  here  the  holy  vessel  can  only  be  won  by 
a  pure  knight.  This  statement  would  lead  one  to  infer  that  the 
prose  Lancelot  was  a  source  of  the  Perlesvaus  instead  of  the  latter 
being,  as  was  said,  a  source  of  the  prose  Lancelot.  A  final  refer- 
ence by  Gaston  Paris  to  the  romance  is  found  in  a  notice  on 
Golther's  article  Chrestiens  Conte  del  Graal  in  seinem  Verhdltniss 
zum  Wdlschen  Peredur  und  zum  Englislien  Sir  Perceval,1  to  the 
effect  that  as  long  as  Golther  and  Nutt  continue  "  a  uegliger  de 
parti  pris  le  Perlesvaus,"  their  discussions  seem  to  him  (Paris)  to 
be  useless.  The  fact  is  there  also  mentioned  for  the  first  time  that 
in  places  the  Perlesvaus  touches  directly  on  Celtic  tradition. 

Lastly,  the  most  recent  and  extensive  contribution  on  this  sub- 
ject are  the  researches  of  Richard  Heinzel  on  the  French  side  of 
the  Grail  question,2  which  were  published  in  the  same  year  (1891) 
in  which  Paris  wrote  the  notice  just  mentioned.  In  re-examin- 
ing the  French  Grail  romances  (and  it  is  noteworthy  that 
Heinzel  drew  his  information  directly  from  the  texts  instead 
or  relying  as  did  Birch-Hirschfeld  on  summaries  of  them),  it 
was  Heinzel's  purpose  to  ascertain  the  conceptions  that  the 
individual  authors  had  of  the  Grail  legend,  and  if  possible  to 
explain  whence  these  conceptions  were  derived.3  He  thus,  has 
little  to  say  on  the  nature  and  origin  of  the  works  them- 
selves (a).  The  Perlesvaus,  he  believes,  represents  the  end  of  a 
Saga-development  which  brings  out  the  warlike  nature  of  the 
Grail  hero  alongside  of  his  chastity.  This  characteristic  of  the 
romance  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  Perceval  does  not  receive  the 
"Grail  Castle  from  the  Fisher  King  but  has  to  conquer  it  from  the 
King  of  the  Chastel  Mortel. 

As  to  (6),  the  only  work  of  those  mentioned  by  Birch-Hirschfeld 
which  Heinzel  feels  certain  our  author  used  is  the  Crestien  portion 
of  the  Perceval.  In  addition,  however,  to  the  borrowings  from 
Crestien  cited  above,  Heinzel  claims  several  others :  the  wording 
of  the  question  concerning  the  Grail,  cui  on  en  servoit;  the  fact 

1  Romania,  xx,  504. 

*  Veber  die  franzoezischen  Gralromane,  Denkschriften  der  kgl.  Akademie  der 
Wissenschaften ;  Vienna,  1891, 196  pp.,  4to. 
3  Op.  dt.,  p.  1. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  29 

that  the  Grail  is  carried  past  Perceval  into  une  autre  chambre  at  the 
Grail  Castle ;  the  claim  that  the  Fisher  King's  pastime  is  due 
to  his  illness.  He  admits  as  only  probable  the  supposition  that  the 
Perlesvaus  is  based  on  the  Continuations  of  the  Perceval.  Thus  far,  he 
thinks,  the  dependence  of  the  romance  on  the  Continuation  of  Ger- 
bert  has  been  brought  out  best.  He  suggests  further  that  the  idea 
of  the  Fisher  King's  country  as  an  unusually  fertile  place  may  be 
a  reminiscence  of  Pseudo-Gautier's  account  of  the  Grail  country.1 
However,  Heinzel  rejects  the  more  important  points  made  by 
Birch-Hirschfeld  in  favor  of  the  priority  of  the  Quete  and  the 
Grand  St.  Graal.  In  Perlesvaus,  the  white  shield  with  the  sign 
of  the  cross  was  originally  the  property  of  Joseph  of  Arimathia, 
the  cross  was  not  put  on  it  until  after  the  crucifixion ;  the  shield 
in  the  Quete  and  Grand  St.  Graal  belongs  to  Evalach  Modrain, 
at  first  Josephe  (not  Joseph)  had  adorned  it  with  a  cross  of  red 
cloth,  then  he  painted  a  cross  on  it  with  his  own  blood.  The  Per- 
lesvaus account  thus  represents  a  simpler,  and  therefore  older,  form 
of  the  Joseph  legend  than  the  account  of  the  other  two  works ;  this 
fact  is  further  confirmed  by  the  circumstance  that  Josephus  Flavius 
is  named  as  the  author  of  the  Latin  version  of  our  romance. 
The  general  resemblance  of  Perceval's  voyages  with  those  of 
Galaad  does  not  show  that  our  romance  was  based  on  the  Quete. 
Heinzel  thinks  rather  that  the  model  for  Perceval's  journey  to  the 
island  of  the  monks  was  some  version  of  the  legend  of  Brendan. 
The  kind  of  greeting  extended  to  Perceval  and  the  idea  of  an 
island  inhabited  only  by  monks  suggest  the  Brendan  legend. 
This  view  is  further  supported  by  the  reference  in  Perlesvaus  to 
the  terra  repromissionis.  Nor  can  we  accept  Birch-Hirschfeld's 
belief  that  our  romance  follows  the  example  of  the  Grand  St. 
Graal  in  naming  an  angel  as  its  source.  The  Grand  St.  Graal 
claims  to  have  come  from  Christ  Himself  and  to  have  been 
recorded  at  His  command  by  a  recluse,  the  boldness  of  which 
claim  indicates  that  this  work  is  a  more  recent  composition  than 
the  Perlesvaus.  Besides  an  angel  as  the  source  of  a  romance  again 
suggests  the  Brendan,  aber  deren  deutschen  Fassung.2 

1  The  land  grows  very  fruitful  after  Gawain's  visit  to  the  Grail  Castle. 
J  Cf.  Shroeder,  Scmct  Brandan,  Erlangen,  1871,  p.  14  ff. 


30  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

In  accordance  with  the  method  of  treatment  pursued  by  Heiuzel 
in  the  case  of  each  of  the  works  he  considers,  the  latter  gives 
a  detailed  account  of  the  leading  characteristics  of  the  Grail  legend 
that  appear  in  our  romance.  It  is  worth  while  noting  his  observa- 
tions regarding  such  of  these  characteristics  as  throw  light  especially 
on  its  relationship  to  the  other  romances  of  the  Grail  cycle. 

The  Grail  is  a  basin,  in  which  the  blood  of  the  Saviour  was 
caught  as  He  hung  on  the  cross.  But  it  is  uncertain  who  held  the 
Grail ;  the  Perlesvaus  contains  several  conflicting  statements.1  Je 
vi  le  Graal,  fit  li  mestres  avant  que  li  Rois  Peschieres  Joseph,  qui  ce 
onques  fu,  recueUi  le  sane  Jliesu- Christ ;  from  this  passage  we  can- 
not determine  whether  or  not  the  author  also  understood  by  the 
Grail  the  vessel  used  at  the  Last  Supper  (cf.  Second  Interpolation, 
Pseudo-Gautier). 

Joseph  of  Arimathia  was  the  first  possessor  of  the  Grail  and 
the  Lance ;  he  was  imprisoned  by  Pilate  and  went  by  the  name 
Rois  Peschierres  (Fisher  King).  There  is  a  curious  passage  in 
the  text,2  saying  that  on  the  island  of  the  monks  Perceval 
found  an  1  mout  biau  leu  1  tonnel  autre  tel  conme  si  fust  d'ivoire,  et 
estoit  si  granz  que  il  avoit  1  chevalier  dedanz  touz  armez.  II  (Perce- 
val) esgarde  la  dedans  et  voit  le  chevalier,  et  I'aresna  meintesfoiz,  mes 
onques  li  chevaliers  ne  vot  respondre.  The  story  goes  on  to  say  that 
Perceval  enquired  who  this  might  be,  but  was  told  that  he 
would  not  find  out  until  he  came  to  the  island  a  second  time. 
This  second  visit  is  mentioned,  but  not  described,  in  the  Perlesvaus. 
Heinzel  thinks  the  knight  in  the  tonnel  was  Joseph.  In  a  simi- 
lar manner,  he  says,  Malory's  paraphrase  of  Huth's  Continuation  of 
Merlin3  says  (on  the  occasion  of  the  douloureux  coup  inflicted  on 
the  Fisher  King,  Pellehan,  in  the  Grail  Castle)  that  Balaain  fled 
from  room  to  room,  and  at  last  entered  a  handsomely  decorated 
place  where  someone  lay  upon  a  sumptuous  bed,  with  the  holy 
lance  at  his  side  ;  this  was  Joseph  of  Arimathia. 

Now  the  fact  that  neither  Joseph  in  Malory  nor  the  knight  in 
Perlesvaus  (also  Joseph)  is  dead,  but  is  lying  in  a  miraculous  sleep, 
to  Heinzel's  mind  shows  that  Joseph  once  took  the  same  part  in 

1  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.t  p.  178.  *  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  til.,  p.  328. 

s  Cf.  Merlin,  ed.  Gaston  Paris  et  Jacob  Ulrich,  soc.  des  anc.  textes  franc.,  Paris, 
1886,  Vol.  n,  p.  27. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  31 

legend  that  the  father  of  the  Fisher  King  has  in  Crestien,  Bron 
(or  Petrus)  in  Robert  de  Borron,  Evalach-Mordrain  in  the  Grand 
St.  Graal;  namely,  Joseph  was  still  to  see  the  Grail  champion. 

Perceval  is  descended  from  Joseph,  probably  in  the  same  manner 
as  in  the  Second  interpolation  in  Pseudo-Gautier :  Perceval's  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  Joseph's  sister,  Veronica,  and  Nicodemus. 

Perceval  is  the  nephew  of  the  Fisher  King.  Crestien,1  how- 
ever, considers  them  cousins.  Perceval's  father  is  Elain  (Vilain, 
Villein,  Vilan,  Julien)  li  Gros,  son  of  Glais  li  Gros,  who  had 
twelve  sons.  Heinzel  does  not  attempt  to  explain  definitely  the 
relation  of  this  Alain  to  the  Alains  mentioned  in  Robert,  the  Didot- 
Perceval,  the  Grand  St.  Graal;  but  from  references  he  gives  to 
other  parts  of  his  treatise2  we  learn  the  following  : 

Robert  de  Borron's  conception  of  Alain  (one  of  twelve  brothers, 
at  first  vowed  to  chastity,3  then  willing  to  marry  in  order  to  beget 
Perceval 4)  is  probably  due  to  a  confusion  of  a  missionary  Alain 
with  Alain,  the  ancestor  of  an  illustrious  family.  The  author  of 
the  Grand  St.  Graal  corrected  this  confusion  according  to  older 
traditions,  in  which  the  two  Alains  are  kept  distinct.  The  second 
Alain,  namely  the  ancestor,  may  be  historical,  as  is  apparently 
inferred  from  the  Grand  St.  Graal  and  the  Didot- Perceval,  in 
which  this  Alain  has  the  surname  li  Gros.6 

The  Grail  in  the  Perlesvaus  probably  represents  the  chalice  of 
the  mass  as  regards  only  the  vessel  itself  and  not  its  contents.6  In 
this  respect  the  Perlesvaus  occupies  an  intermediate  position  between 
the  Joseph  of  Robert,  which  confuses  the  service1  of  the  Grail  with 
the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  and  the  Grand  St.  Graal,  in  which, 
although  the  Grail  is  placed  on  the  altar,  mass  is  celebrated  with 
a  chalice  containing  bread  and  wine,  by  a  regularly  ordained  priest. 

The  question  concerning  the  Grail  (cui  on  en  servoif)  is  not  in 
Perlesvaus,  as  it  originally  was,  the  means  by  which  the  hero  identi- 
fies himself  (cf.  the  Joseph  of  Robert  de  Borron),  but  a  charm  which 
cures  disease ; 8  it  may  be  asked  by  Gawain  and  Lancelot  as  well 
as  by  Perceval.  According  to  Crestien,  Manessier  and  Didot- 

1  Cf.  v.  7789.  J  Cf.  op.  cii.,  p.  174. 

1  Joseph,  v.  2959.  *  Ibid.,  vv.  3091,  3467. 

5  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.,  p.  122.  6  Cf.  ibid.,  pp.  87  and  232. 

7  Cf.  Joseph,  v.  2682.  8  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.t  p.  15. 


32  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Perceval,  the  asking  of  the  question  both  identifies  the  hero  and  cures 
the  Fisher  King ;  according  to  Gautier,  it  identifies  the  hero  and 
restores  the  land  to  fruitfulness ;  according  to  Pseudo-Gautier  it 
has  only  the  last  effect.  The  admonition  Gawain  receives  to  ask 
the  question,  Heinzel  considers  an  imitation  of  Pseudo-Gautier.1 

The  idea  that  the  Grail  Castle  is  hard  to  find,  which  occurs  in  the 
Pseudo-Crestien,2  the  Domanda*  and  Parzival*  and  which  must 
be  presupposed  for  Gautier's  Continuation  and  the  Qu&te,  Heinzel 
thinks  originated  from  the  motif  of  Robert  de  Borron  that  the  last 
possessor  of  the  Grail 5  has  to  seek  for  the  previous  keeper  of  it. 

Relative  to  (c),  the  agreements  of  the  Perlesvaus  with  other 
works  than  those  of  the  immediate  Grail  cycle,  Heinzel  brings 
forward  a  number  of  points.  _ 

(1)  The  legend  of  Brendan  was  a  source  of  the  romance.6 

(2)  The  monastic  government  of  the  monks'  island  in  Perlesvaus 
(a  parallel   to  the  theocratic  dynasty  of  the   Fisher   Kings   in 
Robert)  is  equipped  with  characteristics  resembling  the  knightly 
orders,  especially  the  Templars.     The  monks  wear  white  garments 
with  red  crosses  on  the  bosoms.     Their  authority  extends  over 
distant  islands,  in  charge  of  which  they  place  governors  with  royal 
prerogatives.     If  the  latter  manage  well,  they  are  advanced;  if 
not,  they  are  deposed  and  punished.7 

(3)  The  influence  of  the  Evangeliwn  Nicodemi  is  seen  in  the  fact 
that  Joseph  rides  a  white  mule,  though  our  author  attributes  this 
feature  to  Josephus.     That  Pilate,  who  gives  Joseph  the  body  of 
Christ,8  should  also  be  the  person  who  thrusts  him  into  prison  is 
probably  a  slip  on  the  part  of  our  author. 

(4)  The  burial  of  Lohot9  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  Geoffrey 
of  Monmouth's  description  of  the  burial  of  Arthur  in  Avallon. 

(5)  The  adventure  of  Perceval's  sister  at  the  Dangerous  Ceme- 
tery resembles  the  episode  of  the  damsel  at  the  G-aste  Chapele  in 
the  Chevalier  as  deus  espees.10 

1  Perceval,  v.  20239.  *  Ibid.,  v.  99.  s  Fol.  17  a. 

4  Parzival,  250,  29.  5  Joseph,  vv.  2819,  3128.  6  Of.  above. 

7Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cil.,  pp.  133,  176,  for  references  to  works  in  which  this  idea  is 
mentioned. 

8  Potvin,  op.  cil.,  Vol.  I,  p.  2.  9  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  p.  170. 

10  w.  440-960. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  33 

(6)  Several  of  the  relics  mentioned  by  Perlesvaus  are  found  in 
JSqjhelijn.      The  Lancelot  of  15332  and  Claris  et  Laris3  have  a 
king  au  cercle  d'or. 

(7)  Some  of  the  features  of  the  romance  are  found  in  Wolfram's 
Parzival :  in  Perlesvaus  a  flame  descends  upon  the  Grail  Castle,  in 
Parzival  a  dove  brings  a  consecrated  wafer  to  the  Grail ;  Gawaiu 
shows  compassion  for  the  Grail  king  in  both  works;4  the  monks 
•on  the  island  call  to  mind  Wolfram's  Templeisen.5 

(8)  But  Gaston  Paris'  assertion 6  that  our  romance  was  a  source 
of  the  primitive  prose  Lancelot  may  be  called  in  question.     There 
is  no  special  similarity,  says  Heinzel,  between  the  extant  Lancelot 
and  the  Perlesvaus ;  the  characters  of  Gawain  and  Lancelot  are 
4t entirely  different"  in  the  two  romances,  nor  is  Lancelot's  con- 
nection with  the  Grail  family  the  same ;  further,  Lancelot  in  the 
Lancelot  is  the  father  of  the  Grail  hero  (Galaad),  an  idea  which  is 
incompatible  with  the  ascetic  trend  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

From  the  evidence  at  hand,  Heinzel  does  not  try  to  establish 
the  date  when  the  romance  was  composed  (d).  In  the  summary 
of  results  of  his  investigation7  it  is  merely  stated  again  that  the 
Perlesvaus  is  based  on  the  Perceval  proper  and  probably  on  the 
Continuation  of  Pseudo-Gautier.  Evidently  Heinzel  is  unwilling 
to  commit  himself  as  to  the  other  continuators. 

On  the  whole,  however,  he  believes  the  work  is  a  mixture  of 
data  relatively  old  and  new.  Signs  of  a  more  recent  date  are  seen 
in  the  misinterpretation  of  the  sources  established  above,  and  in 
the  following : 

(1)  The  Fisher  King  is  not  sick  but  becomes  so  through  the 
failure  of  Perceval  to  ask  the  question  concerning  the  Grail. 

(2)  The  fact  that  Perceval  has  to  conquer  the  Grail  Castle  from 
the  King  of  Chastel  Mortel,  which  is  a  special  form  of  legend, 
-contradicting  the  older  data  of  Robert  de  Borron. 

(3)  The  title,  Fisher  King,  applied   to  Joseph  of  Arimathia. 
The  romance  certainly  stands  alone  in  this  respect.     Robert  and 
the  Grand  St.  Graal  first  use  the  name  in  reference  to  Bron  or 

1  Cf.  Paul's  Grundriss.  «  Vol.  ir,  fols.  37  c,  39  c.  «  v.  25038. 

4  Parzival,  795,  29.  6  Cf.  also  A.  V.  Scharffenberg,  Titurel. 

a  Cf.  above.  7  Heinzel,  op.  cil.,  p.  189. 

3 


34  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Alain ;   but  it  may  have  been  transferred  directly  from  Petrusr 
whom  Heinzel  believes  bore  it  first,  to  Joseph. 

(4)  The  five  muances  in  which  the  Grail  appears ;    the  mass  of 
relics  mentioned ;  Gawaiu  and  Lancelot  as  contrasts  to  Perceval, 
whereas  Crestien  and  his  continuators,  as  well  as  the  author  of 
Didot- Perceval  only  mention  Gawain  ;  the  fact  that  Kei's  character 
is  wholly  perverse. 

(5)  The   name   Perlesvaus,  Pellesvaus   (sg.    Parluifet) ;   which- 
Heinzel  terms  etymologische  spielerei. 

Among  the  characteristics  of  more  remote  date,  Heinzel  places  r 

(1)  The  question  concerning  the  Grail.1 

(2)  The  two  Idealreiche,  as  Heinzel  calls  them,  over  which 
Perceval  reigns  :  the  kingdom  of  the  Grail,  and  the  monks'  island 
in  which  Pelles  was  renowned. 

(3)  The  fact  that  the  monks  on  the  island  at  first  do  not  possess 
the  Grail,  though  they  have  charge  of  Joseph  in  a  trance.     This 
trait 2  is  older  than  the  story  of  Joseph  and  the  Grail  at  the  Grail 
Castle  in  the  Huth  Continuation  (Merlin). 

Concerning  the  present  text  (e),  Heinzel  supposes  that  the  romance- 
originally  formed  a  part  of  a  cycle,3  from  which  this  MS.  (B)  was 
copied.  The  work  that  followed  the  Perlesvaus  in  this  cycle  must 
have  been  a  sort  of  Lancelot  since  the  wars  of  Briant  and  Claudas- 
were  still  to  be  narrated.  Heinzel  gives  reference  to  several  worka 
which  record  wars  between  Claudas,  Ban  de  Benoic  and  Lancelot  ; 
but,  he  says,  Briant  des  Hies  is  not  mentioned  as  a  participant 
in  these  wars.4  However,  as  Gottfried's  Tristan5  tells  us  that 
Arondel  was  an  island  lying  between  Britanje  and  Engelantr 
Heinzel  identifies  the  Briant  of  our  romance  with  Briant  d'Aron- 
del.6  The  kinship  between  Lancelot  and  Briant  is  authenticated 
by  other  sources,  as,  for  example,  the  Lancelot.1  In  conclusion,. 

i  Cf.  Perceval,  w.  4423,  4471,  4480. 

'This  may  be  a  remnant  of  the  primitive  Joseph-legend,  not  yet  united  with, 
the  legend  of  the  Grail. 

3  Cf.  above. 

*Cf.  the  Vulgata  Continuation  of  Merlin  (at  the  end)  and  the  beginning  of  the 
Lancelot ;  also  the  third  book  of  the  Lancelot.  For  the  references  given  by  Hein- 
zel to  works  in  which  Briant  is  mentioned,  cf.  op.  cit.,  p.  177. 

6v.  18692.  6Durmart  le  Qallois,  w.  6703,  7745. 

'  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.,  pp.  178,  141,  157. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  35 

the  Perlesvaus  and  the  romance  which  followed  it  in  the  cycle  were 
intimately  related  since  the  Perlesvaus  deals  with  incidents  belong- 
ing in  reality  to  the  other  work. 

DISCUSSION   OF   THE   ABOVE   VlEWS. 

Potvin's  views  on  the  Perlesvaus  require  no  special  consideration 
here  as,  in  the  main,  they  have  already  been  implicitly  refuted  by 
the  arguments  of  Birch-Hirschfeld  and  Heinzel.  The  falsity  of 
Potvin's  position  in  regard  to  the  age  and  origin  of  the  Perlesvaus 
is  especially  clear  from  the  few  proofs  which  these  scholars  adduce 
for  the  priority  of  Crestien's  poem  over  the  romance.  There  are, 
however,  one  or  two  points  in  Potvin's  presentation  of  the  subject 
which  have  not  been  settled  by  the  later  critics  and  which  thus 
remain  to  be  considered.  These  points  are  the  suggestion  that 
the  Perlesvaus  was  a  source  of  the  Quete  (Potvin  is  unques- 
tionably right  in  claiming  that  the  Quete  is  not  a  source  of  Perles- 
vaus),1 and  the  testimony  drawn  from  Villehardouin  that  Jean  de 
Nesle  took  the  cross  in  1200,  and  that  consequently  the  present 
copy  of  the  Perlesvaus,  which  is  dedicated  to  Jean  de  Nesle,  was 
written  before  this  date.  The  latter  point  particularly  should  be 
considered  as  it  bears  directly  on  the  question  of  the  relationship 
of  Perlesvaus  to  the  Continuations  of  the  Perceval.2 

The  views  of  Hucher  and  Zarnke  may  be  passed  over  without 
comment  as  they  are  not  substantiated  with  adequate  evidence; 
moreover,  the  article  containing  Zarnke's  views  was  superseded 
soon  after  its  publication  by  the  treatise  of  Birch-Hirschfeld. 

As  has  been  seen,  this  last  scholar  represents  the  extreme  to 
Potvin  in  assigning  the  romance  an  unimportant  position  in  the 
Grail  cycle.  The  errors  that  Birch-Hirschfeld  seems  to  have 
made  in  this  respect,  for  the  most  part,  have  been  corrected 
by  Heinzel.  For  the  reasons  Heinzel  mentions  it  is  very  likely 
that  Perlesvaus  is  quite  independent  of  the  Quete  and  the  Grand 
St.  Graai  instead  of  being  derived  in  part  from  these  works,  as 
Birch-Hirschfeld  maintained. 

On  the  other  hand,  as  Heinzel  admits,  Crestien's  Perceval  must 
have  been  a  source  of  our  romance.  The  evidence  adduced  by 

1  Of.  above.  *Cf.  below. 


36  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Birch-Hirschfeld  to  this  effect  cannot  be  disputed.  However,  as 
this  evidence  is  taken  mainly  from  one  part  (the  first)  of  our 
romance,  there  may  be  further  agreements  with  the  Perceval  in 
other  parts  of  the  work.  Although  Heinzel  here  supplements 
Birch-Hirschfeld's  work  by  adducing  further  points  (chiefly  con- 
cerning the  Grail),  neither  of  these  writ  rs  attempts  to  ascertain 
the  extent  to  which  the  romance  is  based  on  the  Perceval.  Further- 
more, Birch-Hirschfeld  apparently  overlooks  the  possibility  that 
the  continuators  of  the  Perceval  and  our  author  had  a  common 
source  for  some  of  the  episodes l  in  question  above.  We  not  in- 
frequently come  across  stories  in  Arthurian  literature  which  are 
the  common  property  of  several  works,  and  the  relationship 
of  such  stories  is  seldom  the  simple  matter  that  Birch-Hirschfeld 
supposes  in  this  instance.  At  all  events,  before  we  can  accept 
his  view  that  the  Perlesvaus  is  based  on  the  Continuations  of  the 
Perceval,  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  a  careful  comparison  of  the 
episodes  corresponding  to  one  another  in  these  works. 

As  to  the  Beste  Glapissante,  a  priori  Gerbert's  version  of 
this  story  seems  in  no  way  superior  to  the  version  in  our  romance. 
Certainly  Gerbert  would  have  shown  lack  of  skill  had  he  not 
separated  this  episode  from  that  of  the  Priests  and  the  Cross 
(supposing  he  found  them  thus  united),  inasmuch  as  the  church 
would  then  be  seeking  refuge  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  a  notion 
which  Gerbert  surely  did  not  have  in  mind.  Our  writer's  treat- 
ment of  both  episodes,  however,  is  in  harmony  with  the  rest  of 
his  work ;  the  Beste  Glapissante  episode  is  connected  with  the 
greatest  event  in  sacred  history,  and  the  noise  of  the  Beste1 's  young 
is  made  to  symbolize  the  revolt  of  the  Jews  against  Christ,  who 
was  nevertheless  to  be  regarded  as  their  creator. 

The  date  of  the  romance,  as  I  have  said,  has  not  been  satisfac- 
torily established  by  Birch-Hirschfeld,  and  as  Heinzel  makes  no 
effort  to  determine  it  more  precisely,  this  point  is  yet  to  be  settled. 

Paris'  views,  as  they  are  not  supported  by  proof,  have  only  the 
value  of  suggestions.  The  fact,  however,  is  to  be  emphasized  that 
the  French  scholar  holds  the  romance  was  a  source  of  the  original 
Qudte,  in  which  belief  he  was  in  a  way  anticipated  by  Potvin. 

1  For  specific  reasons  why  the  Perceval  proper  and  the  Perlesvaus  are  not  derived 
from  a  common  source,  see  below,  p.  57. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  37 

But  whether  or  not  it  originally  had  a  versified  form,  seems  likely 
to  remain  largely  a  matter  of  conjecture,  unless  additional  MSS. 
are  found  which  throw  light  on  the  question.  Surely,  the  MSS. 
that  are  now  known  belong  to  one  and  the  same  prose  redaction. 

The  work  of  Heinzel  on  the  Perlesvaus  is  thus  the  most  serious 
contribution  that  has  been  made  to  the  subject.  Accuracy  in  deal- 
ing with  his  material  explains  largely  the  advance  that  this  scholar 
has  made  on  his  predecessors.  The  reason  that  several  questions, 
such  as  the  kinship  of  the  romance  to  the  Continuations  of  Perceval. 
are  still  left  open,  is  evidently  that  an  adequate  treatment  of  them 
could  not  be  compressed  within  the  bounds  of  his  treatise.1  Heiu- 
zel's  work,  however,  is  rich  in  single  observations  and  suggestions, 
especially  in  regard  to  entirely  new  points  of  interest  in  the  romance. 

To  consider  now,  in  detail,  some  of  the  special  points  which 
Heinzel  brings  forward.  Our  author's  description  of  the  fertility, 
etc.  of  the  Grail  country  is  taken  to  indicate  a  knowledge  of 
Pseudo-Gautier's  works.  This  argument  does  not  convince.  After 
all,  this  description  of  the  Grail  country  may  be  a  mere  fore- 
shadowing of  a  later  description  of  the  same  place  as  a  paradise 
abode,2  in  which  nothing  is  lacking  that  ministers  to  the  needs  of 
men.  Even  the  first  account3  says  that  the  Castle  was  avironnez 
de  granz  eves  et  planteureuse  de  tons  biens ;  and  the  second,  in 
which  4  its  proximity  to  the  paradis  terrestre  is  brought  out,  dis- 
tinctly states  that  it  was  "  as  rich  and  beautiful  as  many  times  you 
have  heard  related."  Apparently,  thus,  our  author  conceived  of 
the  Grail  country  as  a  kind  of  Eden,5  the  fertility  of  which  is 
not,  as  in  the  Continuation  of  Pseudo-Gautier,  the  result  of 
Ga wain's  visit. 

Again,  it  may  be  doubted  that  the  Perlesvaus  is  closely  connected 
with  the  Second  Interpolation  into  Pseudo-Gautier's  part  of  Perceval. 
It  is  true,  the  two  works  agree  that  the  Grail  was  used  to  catch  our 
Lord's  blood  as  He  hung  on  the  cross,  but  Perlesvaus  has  the  same 
agreement  with  the  Continuation  proper  of  Pseudo-Gautier,  the 
Continuation  of  Manessier  and  the  Didot- Perceval.  It  may  be 
reasonably  doubted,  too,  that  the  Perlesvaus  imitated  the  Second 
Interpolation  in  giving  Perceval's  ancestry.  The  author  could  not 
have  meant  to  imply  that  Perceval's  mother  was  the  daughter  of 

'  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.,  p.  1.  *  Of.  Potvin,  op.  tit.,  Vol.  i,  p.  249. 

3  Ibid.,  p.  83.  *  Ibid.,  p.  248.  5  The  Castle  is  even  called  Eden. 


38  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Joseph's  sister,  Veronica,  and  Nicoderaus.  True,  the  Brussels 
MS.  read  :  Oil  qui  _.'u  chies  du  lignage  de  par  sa  mere  ot  non  Nico- 
demus.  But  this  is  evidently  a  corruption.1  It  is  said  of  the 
tomb  at  Kamaalot  that  Perceval  had  been  told  it  was  older  than 
his  great-grandfather.2  Later  the  tomb  opens,3  and  a  knight, 
lying  in  full  armor,  comes  to  view ;  from  letters  found  with  the 
body,  it  is  learned  that  the  knight  was  "  one  who  aided  in  taking 
our  Lord  from  the  cros.«."  Of  course,  Nicodemus  is  meant.4 
The  authority,  thus,  of  the  Bern  MS. ;  that  is,  du  lignage  de  par 
son  pei°e,  must  be  followed.  This  reading  is  further  upheld  by 
MS.  G  and  the  Welsh  text. 

The  Perlesvaus  states  clearly  that  Joseph  took  Christ  down  from 
the  cross.5  However,  as  Heinzel  says,  who  collected  Christ's  blood 
is  not  easy  to  determine.  If  in  preference  to  MS.  B,  we  followed 
the  Welsh  text,  "  and  he  kept  with  him  the  spear  and  the  vessel, 
in  which  he  (Joseph)  had  collected  the  blood  that  was  in  the  gore 
of  the  wounds,  when  He  came  down  from  the  cross ; "  we  would 
have  to  admit  that  Joseph  also  received  the  Saviour's  blood  in 
Perlesvaus,  though  not  until  the  body  had  been  removed  from  the 
cross,  an  idea  which  conflicts  with  that  stated  above.  But,  the  Welsh 
scribe  probably  felt  the  same  indecision  that  we  experience  now, 
and  gave  us  his  translation  in  order,  at  least,  not  to  disagree  with 
the  clear  statement  of  fact  found  on  this  matter  in  other  works 
(cf.  the  Joseph  and  the  Grand  St.  Graal).  The  line,  cil  qui  le 
creoient  reeiurent  peoureusement  le  sane  qui  decouroit  de  ces  plaies, 
quant  ilfu  mis  en  la  croiz,  as  Heinzel  quotes  it,  must  be  the  cor- 
rect reading  for  this  passage;  the  Oxford,  Grail-Lancelot  and 
Bern  MSS.  agree  in  this.  There  were  several  persons  (oil)  who 
caught  the  Saviour's  blood. 

There  is,  however,  still  another  account  of  the  crucifixion  in 
Perlesvaus : 6  de  I'autre  part  de  la  croiz  avoit  un  homme  qui  ne 
sanbloit  mie  estre  liez,  mes  il  reconfortoit  la  dame  le  plus  bien  qu'il 
povet.  II  i  avoit  unes  autres  genz  qui  recoillent  son  sane  an  un 
seintime  vessel  que  I' on  tenoit.  The  un  homme  must  be  St.  John 7 
and  the  unes  autres  genz,  the  same  persons  referred  to  in  the  passage 

1  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  i,  p.  358.  a  Ibid.,  p.  18. 

»76id.,  p.  179.  *Cf.  below. 

6Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  i,  p.  176.  6  Potvin,  op.  dt.,  Vol.  i,  p.  318. 

7  Cf.  John  xrx,  26,  27. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  39 

above  (ciF).  It  would  simplify  matters  considerably  if  we  might 
infer  that  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  are  referred  to,  but  the  objection 
to  this  inference  is  that  none  of  the  gospels  represent  Joseph 
as  present  at  the  crucifixion.1 

Thus  it  seems  that  Perlesvaus  is  really  divided  between  the  two 
set  accounts  of  the  first  use  made  of  the  Grail ;  namely,  that  in  the 
Perceval,  as  exemplified  especially  by  Pseudo-Gautier  and  Manes- 
sier,  and  that  in  the  Metrical  Joseph  of  Robert  de  Borron.  Accord- 
ing to  the  former  account,  the  Grail  is  the  vessel  in  which  Christ's 
blood  was  received  as  He  hung  on  the  cross ;  and  in  the  latter,  it 
is  the  vessel  used  at  the  Last  Supper ;  that  is,  it  existed  before 
Joseph  (or  any  one  else)  used  it  at  the  crucifixion,  and  it  was  the 
receptacle  of  Christ's  blood  after  His  body  had  been  removed 
from  the  cross.  But  our  author's  account  of  the  Early  History 
was  probably  derived,  at  least,  indirectly,  from  Robert  de  Borron. 
In  proof  of  this,  compare  the  following  passages  from  the  Perles- 
vaus and  the  Metrical  Joseph : z 

Gawain  is  told  at  the  Chateau  de  I'Anqueste  that  two  of  the 
sealed  heads,  which  the  damsel  has  in  her  cart,  are  those  of  Adam 
and  Eve.  Ele  dist  verite  conme  Joseph  nos  tesmoigne,  car  il  nos  dit 
par  remanbrance  que  par  envie  fu  Adanz  traiz,  etc.  Continuing, 
the  priest,  who  is  addressing  Gawain,  says  :  Vos  savez  bien,  que  par 
la  pome  que  Eve  fist  mangier  a  Adam,  alerent  autresint  an  anfer, 
aussint  li  bon  comme  li  mauvais ;  et,  par  son  peuple  giter  d'anfer 
devint  Diex  hons,  et  gita  ces  anmis  hors  d'anfer  par  sa  bonte  et  par 
sa  puissance ;  et  por  ce  nos  Jet  Joseph  reverance  (remembrance)  del 
chastel  au  noir  hermit  qui  senefie  anfer,  et  que  li  Bons  Chevaliers  an 
geitera  ceus  fors  qui  dedanz  sont.  Et  vos  di  que  li  noirs  hermites  est 
Lucifer  qui  autresint  est  sires  d'anfer  comme  il  vost  estre  de  paradis.3 

Cf.  Le  pueple  que  il  (Christ)  feit  avoit 

D'Evein  et  d'Adam,  convenoit 
Raiembre  et  giter  hors  d'enfer, 
Que  tenoit  enclos  Lucifer 
Pour  le  pechie  d'Adam  no  pere, 
Que  il  fist  fere  Eve  no  mere 
Par  la  pomme  qu'ele  menja 
Et  qu'ele  son  mari  donna.* 

1  Cf.  Matthew,  xxvii,  57.  2  F.  Michel :  Roman  du  St.  Graal,  Bordeaux,  1841. 

3  Perlesvaus  (Potvin,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  i),  p.  79.  4  Metrical  Joseph,  vv.  81-88 


40  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Joseph  of  Arimathia  was  sodoiers  Pilate  for  seven  years ;  as- 
payment  for  his  services,  he  asked  permission  only  to  take  the 
Saviour's  body  down  from  the  cross.  This  seemed  little  to  Pilate 
for  Joseph  had  served  him  well.  If  he  had  demanded  gold  or 
property,  it  would  have  been  given  to  him  willingly.  When 
Pilate  gave  Joseph  the  body,  it  was  thought  that  he  would  drag 
it  through  the  city  and  cast  it  out  into  a  foul  place.  But  li  bons 
soudoiers  laid  it  in  the  sepulchre,  and  kept  the  lance  with  which 
Christ  had  been  struck,  and  the  holy  vessel  in  which  those  that 
believed  in  Him  received  the  blood  taken  from  His  wounds.1 

The  tongs  used  at  the  crucifixion  are  found  in  the  tomb  of 
Nicodemus.2  Nicodemus  assists  Joseph  at  the  descent  from  th& 
cross 3  .  .  .  la  doulor  que  Damdiex  soufri ;  car  Vangoisse  fu  si 
granz  que  la  pierre  enfondi* 

Cf.  A  lui  (Pilate)  servoit  uns  soudoiers 

Qui  souz  lui  cut  V.  chevaliers.* 

Joseph  comes  to  Pilate  and  says  : 

.  .  .  servi  t'ei  longuement 
Et  je  et  mi  V.  chevalier 
Ne  n'ei  eu  point  de  lanier, 
Ne  ja  n'en  arei  guerredon 
Fors  tant  que  me  donras  un  don 
De  ce  que  touz  jors  promis  m'as 
Donne-le-moi,  povoir  en  has.8 

Pilate  tells  him  to  make  his  request : 

"  Je  demant  le  cors  de  Jhesu 
Qu'il  ont  a  tort  en  croiz  pendu.1' 
Pilates  mout  se  merveilla 
Quant  si  don  demanda, 
Et  dist  Pilates :  Je  quidoie 
Et  dedenz  mon  cuer  pensoie 
Que  greigneur  chose  voussiez 
Et,  certes,  que  vous  1'eussiez. 
Pour  ce  que  son  cors  demandez 
Pour  vos  soudes  vous  1'arez." 7 

1  Perlesvaus,  p.  2.  2  Ibid.,  p.  179.  s  Ibid. 

4  Ibid.,  p.  206.  s  Metrical  Joseph,  w.  119-120. 

8  Metrical  Joseph,  v/442  ff.  T  Ibid.,  v.  455  ff. 

NOTE. — As  Heinzel  has  remarked,  the  accounts  of  Pilate  in  the  Perlesvaus  are 
contradictory.    The  reason  for  this  is  probably  that  our  author  confused  the  two- 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  41 

Joseph  returns  to  Pilate  without  the  body  because  of  the  angry 
crowd  of  Jews ;  then  Pilate  sends  Nicodemus  with  him :  at  the 
same  time  he  gives  Joseph  le  veissel  (sc.  Grail). 

Nychodemus  si  s'en  entra 
Chies  un  fevre  que  il  trova ; 
Tentilles  prist  et  un  martel 
Qu'ilec  trouva,  mout  1'en  fu  bel 
Et  vinrent  a  la  crouiz  errant.1 


Finally : 


Et  cil  andui  en  haut  munterent 
Et  Jhesu  de  la  crouiz  osterent. 
Joseph  entre  ses  braz  le  prist, 
Tout  souef  a  terre  le  mist, 
Le  cors  atourna  beleraent 
Et  le  lava  mout  nestement. 
Endrementier  qu'il  le  lavoit, 
Vist  le  cler  sane  qui  decouroit 
De  ses  plaies,  qui  li  seinroient 
Pour  ce  que  lavees  estoient : 
De  la  pierre  adonc  li  membra 
Quifendi  quant  li  sans  raia 
De  sen  coste,  oufuferuz. 
Adonc  est-il  errant  couruz 
A  son  veissel  et  si  1'a  pris, 
Et  lou  li  sans  couloit  1'a  mis.2 

Or  fu  li  sanz  touz  receuz 

Et  an  veissel  touz  requeilluz.* 

Et  en  une  pierre  le  mist  (that  is,  the  body  of  Christ) 
Qu'il  a  son  wis  avoit  eslist.* 


The  general  course  of  the  present  study  is  now  clear.  The  first 
step  will  be  to  determine  more  fully  than  has  yet  been  attempted 
the  relationship  of  the  romance  to  the  Perceval  of  Crestien.  Here 
there  are  three  possibilities  to  be  taken,  into  account :  either  our 
author  drew  on  the  Perceval  directly,  with  a  copy  of  the  poem, 
before  him ;  or,  he  made  use  of  an  intermediate  stage,  a  more  or 

distinct  streams  of  Pilate  tradition  current  in  his  day.  For  an  account  of  the 
mediaeval  legends  of  Pilate,  cf.  E.  du  Meril,  Poesies  popidaires  latines  du  moyen 
age,  Paris,  1874,  p.  314  ff. 

1  Metrical  Joseph,  v.  521  ff.  »  Metrical  Joseph,  v.  549  ff. 

J  Ibid.,  w.  573-74.  4  Ibid.,  vv.  578-79. 


42  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

less  hackneyed  version  of  the  original  poem ;  or,  indeed,  as  Birch- 
Hirschfeld  suggested,  he  based  his  work  on  a  mere  recollection  of 
the  Perceval,  which  he  had  read  or  heard  recited  on  some  previous 
occasion. 

In  a  similar  way  the  romance  will  be  treated  in  its  relation  to  the 
Continuations  of  the-  Perceval :  here  the  further  possibility  of  the 
existence  of  a  common  source  must  be  considered.  Then  an  effort 
will  be  made  to  establish  the  date  of  the  present  text  of  the  work. 
Finally,  I  trust,  the  discussion  of  these  questions  will  point  the 
way  to  the  other  bodies  of  romance  and  legend  from  which  the 
Perlesvaus  sprang. 


RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  PERLESVAUS  TO 
CRESTIEN'S  PERCEVAL. 


THE  GENERAL,  PLAN  OF  THE  Perlesvaus. 

Before  considering  the  obligations  of  onr  author  to  Crestien  de 
Troyes  one  or  two  further  facts  about  the  Perlesvaus  should  be  noted. 
The  romance  is  very  long,  as  we  have  seen,  and  the  number 
of  episodes  in  it  is  proportionately  large.  According  to  the  MSS., 
it  is  divided  into  eleven  principal  branches  or  chapters,  of  which 
the  first  is  a  sort  of  prologue  to  the  entire  work.  In  this  chapter 
the  main  facts  of  the  hero's  origin  are  given,  and  these  are  followed 
by  an  episode  picturing  the  condition  of  the  Arthurian  Court  at  the 
time  when  the  story  begins.  In  so  far  as  this  episode  reflects  the 
spirit  which  pervades  the  work  it  is  of  importance  to  outline  it  here. 

One  day,  at  Carduel,  Guenevere  suddenly  begins  to  weep  because 
she  thinks  Arthur  has  fallen  under  the  wrath  of  God.  In  bygone 
days  knights  without  number  flocked  to  his  court,  but  now  it  is 
deserted,  and  adventures,  once  of  so  frequent  occurrence,  take  place 
there  no  more.  The  King's  power  has  changed  to  weakness,  and 
his  desire  to  win  honor  and  exercise  bounty  is  almost  gone.  The 
only  salvation  from  the  present  evil  is  for  the  King  himself  to 
undertake  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Chapel  of  St.  Augustine.  The 
journey  thither  is  fraught  with  peril,  the  Chapel  can  only  be  found 
through  divine  grace,  and  the  place  where  it  is  situated  is  full  of 
danger.  Bad  as  things  are,  however,  Arthur  is  no  coward  and  is 
quite  ready  to  undertake  the  quest.  He  even  wishes  to  go  unaided, 
but  the  Queen  prevails  upon  him  to  take  along  a  squire  at  least. 

Accordingly,  Arthur  chooses  one  Chaos,  the  son  of  Yvain 
PAoutre,  and  instructs  him  to  make  his  preparations  immediately 
for  an  early  start  the  next  day.  Chaos  gets  ready  what  he  needs 
and  then  lies  down  without  undressing.  Soon  he  falls  asleep  and 

43 


44  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvam. 

has  a  dream.  He  dreams  the  King  had  set  out  alone,  leaving 
him  to  come  after.  When  finally  he  followed,  he  came  first  to  a 
chapel  encircled  by  a  grave-yard.  Entering  in,  he  found  a  knight 
in  a  bier,  about  which  there  were  four  lighted  candles.  For  some 
reason  he  removed  one  of  the  candle-sticks,  and  having  concealed 
it  on  his  person,  left  the  chapel.  He  had  not  ridden  far  into 
a  wood,  when  an  ugly  black-man  rode  up  to  him  and  accused  him 
of  the  theft  of  the  candle-stick.  In  spite  of  the  latter's  threatening 
appearance,  he  refused  to  give  it  up,  saying  he  would  make  a 
present  of  it  to  Arthur.  Whereupon  the  black-man,  enraged  at 
his  obstinacy,  ran  a  knife  into  him.  With  a  cry  Chaos  now  wakes 
up,  and  finds  that  he  is  in  fact  seriously  hurt ;  and,  curiously,  the 
candle-stick  is  in  his  possession.  The  King  and  Queen  are  called 
and  after  confessing  his  sins,  Chaos  dies.  The  candle-stick  remains 
with  Arthur,  who  gives  it  later  to  St.  Paul's  Church  in  London,, 
which  was  at  that  time  newly  founded. 

The  King,  realizing  it  to  be  God's  will,  goes  on  his  quest  alone. 
After  an  adventure  at  a  hermitage,  where  he  hears  angels  and 
devils  disputing  over  the  soul  of  a  hermit,  who  is  about  to  breathe 
his  last,  he  meets  a  damsel  at  the  edge  of  a  wood.  From  her  he 
learns  that  the  chapel  is  in  a  glade  near  by ;  further,  that  no  one 
ever  returned  from  it  alive  without  being  cured  of  his  ills. 

Arthur  is  not  long  in  reaching  the  Chapel,  and  from  the  outside 
(he  cannot  enter  because  of  an  invisible  barrier)  listens  to  a  mass 
and  has  a  vision  of  Christ  as  Child  and  Saviour.  When  the  mass 
is  over,  he  is  allowed  to  go  'in.  The  celebrant,  a  hermit,  who 
knew  Arthur's  father,  Pendragon,  exhorts  him  to  renounce  his 
bad  ways.  Diex  vos  leist  vostre  vie  amander,  the  hermit  says, 
ainsint  que  vos  puissiez  aidier  a  esfacier  la  mauvaise  loi  et  essaucier 
la  hi  qui  est  renouvelee  par  le  crucefiement  du  seint  prophete.  Great 
distress  had  recently  come  upon  the  land  through  a  young  knight 
who,  having  stayed  at  the  ostel  au  riche  roi  Peschour,  had  neglected 
to  ask  the  purpose  of  the  Holy  Grail  and  the  Bleeding  Lance 
(li  seintimes  Graus,  et  la  lance  dequoi  li  fiers  seigne  par  la 
poig(ri)te  ;  lie  ne  demanda  de  quoi  ce  servoit  ne  dont  ce  venoit ; — var., 
ne  cui  on  en  servoiC),  though  he  had  seen  them  both.  For  this 
reason  all  countries  are  rent  by  war,  and  knights  are  contending 
among  one  another — as  he  shall  see.  Surely  the  time  is  come  for 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  45 

the  sovereign  court  of  the  world  to  recover  its  power,  and  to  set 
an  example  to  mankind  de  bienfaire,  et  de  largesce  et  d'onor. 

The  cure  of  the  King  is  now  accomplished  except  that  he  still 
has  to  sustain  the  attack  of  a  black  knight,  as  the  hermit  had  said. 
Of  course  the  knight  is  overcome,  and  Arthur  undergoes  fresh 
danger  in  getting  his  head  for  the  damsel  at  the  edge  of  the  wood. 
This  damsel  is  in  search  of  Perceval.  From  her  lips  Arthur 
learns  the  story  of  Perceval's  youth,  and  the  episode  closes  with 
Arthur's  happy  return  to  the  Court. 

A  few  words  concerning  this  episode  will  suffice  as  it  really 
interprets  itself.  God  has  withdrawn  his  favor  from  knights  and, 
in  consequence,  the  whole  court  has  fallen  into  a  state  of  decadence, 
indicated  by  the  lack  of  adventure  and  the  (moral)  languor  of  the 
Xing,  because  the  ideals  of  knighthood  are  worldly  and  vain.  As 
a  result,  the  good  suffer  with  the  bad  :  Perceval  has  seen  the  Grail 
but  was  unable  to  speak  the  words  which  would  deliver  its  keeper. 
The  Chapel  of  St.  Augustine,  as  its  name  shows,  is  the  symbolic 
sanctuary  of  the  British  Church.  That  Arthur  should  go  thither 
to  be  instructed  in  the  true  ideal  of  knighthood  is  significant  for 
several  reasons. 

First,  it  shows  at  once  the  standpoint  of  the  author  regarding 
his  own  work.  The  Arthurian  stories  are  to  be  lifted  out  of  the 
sphere  of  human  aims  and  desires  and  interpreted  in  the  spirit  of 
religion.  The  beau  ideal  of  Chivalry  is  not  to  be  the  practice  of 
courtly  love  or  the  quest  of  mere  adventure,  but  the  service  of 
Christianity.  The  knight  that  craves  glory,  shall  fight  for  his 
faith  and  shall  convert  the  heathen.  Thus  the  quest  of  the  Grail 
will  be  the  successful  accomplishment  of  a  war  waged  for  the  good 
of  the  Church,  and  the  holy  vessel  itself  will  stand  for  the 
spiritual  goal  which  many  will  seek  but  only  the  perfect  knight 
attain. 

Then,  as  Arthur  is  the  political  head  of  the  world,  his  experi- 
ence at  the  Chapel  indicates  the  union  of  the  temporal  with  the 
spiritual  order ;  an  inference,  it  seems,  which  the  author  intended 
his  readers  to  make.  The  belief  that  human  welfare  is  dependent 
upon  the  alliance  of  the  State  with  the  Church  was  a  ruling  idea 
of  the  Middle  Ages',  and  one  especially  apt  to  be  held  by  a  church- 


46  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus, 

man.     This  also  explains  why  Arthur  himself  afterwards  goes  on 
the  quest  of  the  Grail." J 

Finally,  the  mention  of  St.  Augustine's  name  here  and,  later,  of 
that  of  Gregory 2  is  interesting  as  it  led  PotvSn  to  connect  the  work 
with  the  conflict  in  the  early  English  Church  between  the  followers 
of  the  Roman  bishop  and  those  who  looked  to  Ireland  for  the  seat 
of  the  Christian  faith.  Without  doubt,  the  author  of  Perlesvaus 
was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Roman  party,  if  as  it  appears  from 
the  above,  he  was  interested  in  the  conversion  of  England  and  the 
extermination  of  the  heathen,  but  that  the  Perlesvaus  was  a  direct 
plea  for  the  rights  of  the  See  of  Rome  over  the  refractory  Celts  is 
hardly  to  be  supposed.  The  ecclesiastical  future  of  England  was 
decided  at  Whitby  in  664,  and  we  may  be  certain  that  the  romance 
was  not  written  before  the  last  part  of  the  twelfth  century,3  a  long 
time  after  the  above  conflict  had  been  settled.  I  am  much  more 
inclined  to  think  that  the  purpose  of  the  author  of  Perlesvaus  was 
to  advance  the  cause  of  a  crusade  by  urging  knights  to  fight  for 
their  faith.  We  know,  for  example,  that  monks,  in  preaching  the 
crusades,  borrowed  similes  for  their  sermons  from  Arthurian 
legend.4  As  to  whether  he  had  a  definite  crusade  in  mind,  this 
question  will  have  to  be  considered  in  its  proper  place,  when  the 
date  of  the  romance  is  considered.  For  the  present,  we  need  to 
note  only  that  it  is  animated  with  the  crusade  spirit.  It  expresses 
above  all  a  new  ethical  ideal  in  the  passionless,  faultless,  type  of 
the  hero ;  an  ideal  which  has  apparently  left  its  mark  on  subse- 
quent literature.5  In  this  respect,  especially,  our  author's  con- 
ception differs  from  that  of  Crestien,  whose  higher  poetic  gift  is 
evident  in  the  human  quality  of  his  hero,  susceptible  to  temptation 
and  capable  even  of  failure. 

With  this  idea  of  the  shaping  factor  in  the  work,  it  is  possible 
to  detect  a  rough  plan  in  the  arrangement  of  the  subject-matter. 
Branches  II,  III,  IV,  V  and  VI  come  practically  under  one  head 
and  treat  of  Gawain's  quest  of  the  Grail.  In  proof  of  his  merit 

1  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  tit.,  Vol.  i,  p.  218 ;  Arthur  beholds  two  suns  in  the  sky.     It  is 
plain  that  the  author  was  connected  with  the  Church. 
»  Cf.  Ibid.,  p.  250.  3  Cf.  above. 

4  Cf.  Hist.  Litt,  Vol.  xxx,  p.  250. 

5  Viz.,  the  Qu&e,  Mort  d' Arthur,  etc. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  47 

as  a  Grail-knight,  he  has  to  obtain,  through  various  adventures 
and  hardships,  the  sword  with  which  John  the  Baptist  had  been 
beheaded,  the  latter  being  the  leader  of  religious  heroes.1  Then 
the  Grail  Castle  is  open  to  him,  the  reason  he  fails  in  the  object 
of  his  quest,  is  that  he  lacks  grace ;  without  it  the  human  will  is 
powerless.2 

In  the  seventh  branch,  Perceval  appears  on  the  scene.  He  was 
sick  when  he  left  the  castle  of  the  Rich  Fisher,3  and  since  then  has 
been  at  the  hermitage  of  King  Pelles.  At  this  point  he  enters 
the  story. 

The  eighth  branch  is  Lancelot's  Grail  adventure.  In  love  with 
the  Queen,  he  is  the  victim  of  his  own  faithfulness,  since  the 
Grail  does  not  appear  to  any  knight  who  is  not,  at  least  during 
the  quest,  austerely  pure. 

In  the  ninth  branch  (termed  in  the  MSS. :  une  des  maitres 
branches),  Perceval,  the  perfect  knight,  conquers  the  Grail  Castle 
from  his  wicked  uncle,  the  King  of  Chastel  MorteL  The  Grail, 
which  presumably  had  been  carried  off  to  heaven  when  the  Castle 
passed  into  evil  hands,  is  visible  again  in  the  chapel  where  it  was 
woot  to  be,  with  many  other  relics.  The  Fisher  King  having 
died  before  the  Perceval's  coming,  of  course,  the  traditional  ques- 
tion concerning  the  Grail  is  omitted. 

Branch  X  is  concerned  in  particular  with  Arthur's  search  for 
the  Grail.  This  has  already  been  mentioned.4  Strictly,  the  much- 
disputed  wars  of  Arthur,  which  occur  in  this  branch,  form  a  sec- 
tion apart,  the  leading  motif  of  which  is  an  intrigue  against 
Lancelot.5  Gietmann,  very  correctly,  has  placed  them  in  a  separ- 
ate chapter  in  his  translation  of  the  Perlesvaus.6 

The  closing  chapter  of  the  romance  is  an  account  of  how  Perceval 
roots  out  the  last  evil  in  the  world,  after  which  he  ascends  a  ship 
and  sails  away  to  the  land  of  double  promise  (terra  repromissionis), 
whither  the  Grail  had  gone,  and  he  is  seen  no  more. 

Into  this  elastic  framework  a  great  number  and  variety  of  inci- 

JCf.  Gietmann,  Ein  Oralbuch,  Freiburg,  1889,  p.  410;  also  Matthew  xi,  11. 
*  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  I,  p.  90.          3  Cf.  ibid.,  p.  105. 
4Cf.  above.  *  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  eit.,  Vol.  i,  pp.  254,  99. 

•Op.  cit.,  p.  301.  Gietmann's  work  is  of  no  scientific  value  but  it  gives  at  times 
a  good  interpretation  of  the  allegory  in  the  romance. 


48  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

dents,  mainly  Arthurian,  have  been  set.  For  the  most  part,  these 
incidents  are  found  in  a  shorter  form  than  that  in  which  they 
originally  occurred.  Thus  episodes  which  cover  considerable  space 
in  some  romances  (for  example,  the  episode  of  the  Chessboard  in 
Oautier's  Continuation  of  Perceval)  occupy  but  a  few  lines  here. 
Many  are  given  only  in  outline,1  and  some  are  almost  frag- 
mentary.2 Naturally,  their  meaning  had  frequently  (and  some- 
times their  structure)  to  be  changed  in  order  to  suit  the  aims  of 
the  author.3  As  in  all  such  works,  there  are,  however,  quite  a 
number  of  episodes  that  have  no  connection  with  the  ground-work 
of  the  romance  but  seem  to  have  been  added  to  swell  the  narrative.* 


COMPARISON  OF  THE  VERSIONS  OF  THE  GRAIL  EPISODE. 

The  necessity  of  comparing  the  Perlesvaus  with  the  Perceval  in 
detail,  episode  for  episode,  was  demonstrated  above ;  but  until  we 
reach  the  Grail  episode,  none  of  the  adventures  in  the  two  works 
correspond.  The  Perlesvaus  form  of  this  episode  will  now  be 
compared  with  the  version  in  the  French  poem. 

Our  author  gives  four  separate  accounts  of  the  appearance  of  the 
Grail  to  knights,5  though  only  two  of  these  have  any  similarity 
with  Crestien's  narrative.  These  two6  are  partly  the  same  account 
and  when  they  differ  merely  supplement  each  other.  They  may 
thus  be  considered  a  single  version.  A  somewhat  minute  analysis 
of  the  episode  is  as  follows : 

I. — Arrival  at  the  Grail  Castle. 

Crestien:7  Perceval  has  recently  left  Biau-Repaire  and  is  in 
search  of  his  mother,  when  he  comes  to  a  river  en  la  vallee  d'une 

1  Almost  all  of  the  Perlesvaus  episodes  impress  one  that  way;  compare,  for 
instance,  the  Proud  Damsel  story  (Potvin,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  I,  p.  55)  with  what  is 
plainly  a  version  of  the  same  story  in  the  Vengeance  de  Eaguidel  (Hist.  Lilt., 
Vol.  xxx,  p.  55). 

*  Of.  the  version  of  the  Chessboard  episode  outlined  below. 

1  Cf.  the  Besie  Qlapissante  story  mentioned  above. 

4  Cf.  the  following  episodes:  the  Green  Knight  (cf.  below),  the  Proud  Damsel 
(cf.  note,  above),  the  Cercle  d'Or  (cf.  above)  and  Marin  le  Jalous  (cf.  Potvin, 
op.  cit.,  Vol.  I,  pp.  48-52). 

6  Pot.,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  i;  pp.  83-90,  128  ff.,  208-217,  248-51. 

6  Ibid.,  pp.  83-90  and  128  ff.  7  w.  4150-4259. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  49 

engarde.  The  river  is  swift  and  deep,  and  he  fears  to  cross  it. 
Proceeding  along  the  bank  to  a  cliff,  which  apparently  blocks  the 
road,  he  suddenly  beholds  a  boat  on  the  river,  in  which  are  two  men. 

En  mi  1'ewe  tout  coi  esturent 
E  tres  bien  aancre  se  furent ; 
E  cins  qui  devant  fu  pescoit 
A  la  ligne,  et  si  assachoit 
Son  amencon  d'un  poissonet 
Petit  plus  grant  d'un  vaironet. 

Perceval  enquires  the  way  of  those  in  the  boat  and  is  directed,  by 
the  fisher,  to  the  top  of  the  cliff  whence,  he  is  told,  he  will  see  a 
castle  in  a  valley  beyond,  pres  de  riviere  et  pres  de  bois. 

Perceval  rides  to  the  summit  of  the  cliff  but  perceiving  at  first 
only  land  and  sky,  he  blames  the  fisher  for  misdirecting  him. 
Finally,  however,  the  tower  of  a  castle  hard  by  comes  to  view. 
Perceval  is  not  long  in  reaching  the  castle  where  he  is  royally 
welcomed  by  four  squires.  Two  of  the  squires  help  him  to  dis- 
arm, the  third  looks  after  his  horse,  and  the  fourth  provides  him 
with  a  scarlet  cloak.  He  then  waits  in  an  ante-room  until  sum- 
moned by  the  host  of  the  castle,  who  is  in  fact  the  fisher. 

Perlesvaus:1  The  first  of  the  two  versions  here ;  namely,  Gawain's 
visit  to  the  Grail  Castle,  differs  entirely  from  the  Crestien  story  until 
after  the  arrival  at  the  castle;  hence  it  may  be  disregarded  for  the 
present.  We  find  the  passage  for  comparison  in  Lancelot's  quest 
of  the  Grail  :2 

After  visiting  many  strange  places,  Lancelot  comes  one  day  to 
a  stream  flowing  through  a  meadow.  The  meadow,  which  is 
skirted  by  a  forest  on  two  sides,  is  covered  with  flowers.  In  front 
of  him,  on  the  stream,  Lancelot  sees  a  boat  in  which  there  are  two 
white-haired  knights  and  a  damsel,  holding  a  truncated  human 
head  in  her  lap.  In  the  center  of  the  boat  there  is  a  knight,  qui 
peschoit  a  •{•  enmecon  dont  la  verge  sanble  d'or  et  prenoit  mout  granz 
poissons.3  The  boat  has  a  smaller  one  in  tow  into  which  the 
knight  throws  his  fish. 

1  Pot.,  Vol.  i,  pp.  83-90,  128  ff.  'Ibid.,  p.  128. 

*  John,  xxi,  11 :  "  and  drew  the  net  to  the  land,  full  of  great  fishes,  a  hundred 
and  fifty  and  three. 

4 


50  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

At  the  sight  of  the  party,  Lancelot  stops  to  ask  whether  he  may 
find  shelter  near  by.  In  reply,  they  direct  him  to  a  castle  beyond 
a  mountain  (outre  cele  monteigne.)  In  a  short  time  Lancelot  has 
reached  the  foot  of  this  mountain,  and  comes  upon  the  cell  of  a 
hermit.  In  view  of  his  quest  (a  si  haust  ostel)  he  enters  the  cell 
to  confess  his  sins ;  but  notwithstanding  the  hermit's  entreaties,  he 
refuses  to  renounce  his  love  for  the  Queen. 

The  rest  of  this  account,  how  Lancelot  persists  in  cherishing  this 
love  and  how,  consequently,  the  Grail  is  not  visible  to  him,  con- 
tains few  points  of  interest  and  may  be  safely  omitted.  It  is  note- 
worthy only  that  the  Grail  Castle  has  not  the  same  appearance  to 
him  that  it  has  to  Gawain. 

To  revert  now  to  the  first  account :  Over  the  gate  of  the  Grail 
Castle,  Gawain  sees  an  image  of  the  Saviour,  between  images  of 
St.  John  and  the  Virgin,  and  a  figure  of  an  angel  pointing  to  the 
chapel  in  which  the  Grail  is  kept.  The  angel  has  a  jewel  in  his 
breast,  showing  that  the  lord  of  the  castle  is  pure.  In  the  gate- 
way a  lion  keeps  guard,  but  at  the  sight  of  Gawain  it  lies  down. 

Having  placed  his  shield  and  his  spear  against  the  wall  of  the 
castle,  Gawain  ascends  by  marble  steps  into  a  hall.  The  hall  is  de 
leus  en  leus  a  ymages  d'or  peinte.  In  the  center  of  it,  on  a  couch, 
he  finds  an  empty  chess-board.1  Presently  two  knights  come  to 
wait  on  him,  and  two  damsels  bring  him  a  cloak  of  silk  and  gold. 
Although  no  candles  are  visible,  the  hall  is  as  bright  as  by  daylight. 

II. — In  the  presence  of  the  Fisher  King. 

Crestien : 2  Now,  two  squires  lead  Perceval  into  a  hall  before 
their  lord.  The  latter  is  seated  on  a  bed ;  his  hair  is  gray  and 

ses  cies  ert  encapeles 
D*un  sabelin  noir  come  meure, 
D'une  porpre  vols  par  deseure, 
Et  d'autel  fu  la  reube  toute. 

A  large  fire  is  blazing  in  front  of  him  in  the  chimney,  which  is 
supported  by  four  columns  of  solid  brass.  In  the  space  round  the 
fire  four  hundred  men  could  be  seated. 

1  The  Welsh  text  makes  no  mention  here  of  the  chess-board. 
»w.  4259-4365. 


A  Study  of  the  Perksvaus.  51 

The  host  excuses  himself  for  not  rising  to  greet  Perceval,  and 
bids  him  sit  down  next  to  him.  While  they  are  conversing 
about  Perceval's  journey,  a  youth  enters  with  a  sword  on  which  is 
written  that  it  will  never  break,  save  in  one  peril  known  only  to 
its  maker.  It  is  a  present  from  la  sore  pucele,  the  host's  niece  ;  the 
host  may  give  it  away  provided  it  is  put  to  good  use.  Only  three 
of  the  kind  exist,  and  he  who  made  them  will  make  no  more  after 
this  one.  The  host  bestows  it  upon  Perceval  for  whom  it  was 
intended.  After  girding  it  on  to  see  how  it  looked,  Perceval 
hands  it  to  the  squire  who  has  charge  of  the  armor  at  the  castle. 

Perlesvaus:1  Gawain  is  conducted  into  the  presence  of  the 
Fisher  King.  The  room  is  strewn  with  erbe  vert  et  de  rosel.2 
The  King  is  lying  on  un  lit  cordeiz  dont  li  quepou  estoient  d'ivoire  ; 
under  ,him,  une  coute  de  paille,  over  him,  a  cover  of  sable  with 
costly  lining.  He  wears  un  chapel  de  sebelin  convert  d'un  vermeil 
samiz  de  soie,  and  his  head  is  resting  on  a  scented  pillow,  which 
has  brilliant  gems  at  its  corners.  A  pillar  of  copper,  surmounted 
by  the  image  of  an  angel  holding  a  cross  (part  of  which  is  the  true 
cross),  and  four  candle-sticks  of  gold  are  part  of  the  riches  of 
the  room. 

After  receiving  the  King's  greeting,  Gawain  presents  him  with 
the  sword  of  St.  John ;  this  the  King  entrusts  to  a  damsel's  care, 
his  niece.  In  the  meanwhile  two  damsels  come  and  sit  down  at  the 
King's  feet.  The  strong  light  in  the  castle,  Gawain  is  told,  is  due  to 
his  arrival.  He  would  have  received  a  better  welcome  if  the  King 
had  not  fallen  sick  through  the  failure  of  a  certain  knight  (Perceval) 
to  speak  une  soule  parole  (that  is,  in  regard  to  the  Grail).  The  King 
cautions  Gawain  not  to  commit  the  same  error  when  he  is  shown 
the  Grail.  Then  Gawain  and  the  host's  niece  begin  to  talk  about 
Perceval. 

III. — The  Passing  of  the  Grail. 

Crestien : 3  A  squire  issues  from  a  room  bearing  a  lance  with 
a  white  blade ;  from  the  point  of  the  lance  drops  of  blood  are 
falling  into  his  hand.  Perceval  is  anxious  to  inquire  concerning 

1  p.  86. 

*Cf.  Nutt,  op.  cit.,  p.  27  (in  the  summary  of  Diu  Krone). 

3  vv.  4365-4513. 


52  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

the  marvel  but  refrains  because  be  has  been  taught  (by  Gonemans,. 
his  uncle)  not  to  speak  unless  spoken  to.  Next  come  two  squires- 
each  holding  a  candlestick,  and  along  with  them  a  damsel,  carry- 
ing un  graal.  The  graal  is  so  brilliant  that  it  outshines  the  light 
of  the  candles  as  the  sun  and  the  moon  outshine  the  stars.  This 
damsel  is  followed  by  another  with  a  plate.  The  finest  gems  in 
the  world  adorn  the  graal. 

After  passing  by,  the  procession  goes  into  another  room,  and 
still  Perceval  does  not  dare  to  ask  about  the  graal :  qui  on  en  ser- 
voit.  Then  supper  is  served  :  the  abundance  of  things  to  eat  and 
the  splendor  of  the  occasion  surpass  anything  ever  before  seen. 
The  table  is  d'ivoire  ;  the  cloth,  whiter  than  any  a  legate,  a  cardinal 
or  a  pope  ever  used  ;  the  plate,  talleoir  d'argent.  Cerf  de  graisse 
au  poivre  caut  is  served  as  the  chief  dish,  and  dades,  figes  et  nois 
moscades,  Et  geroufles,  puns  de  grenades,  etc.,  follow.  The  bever- 
ages are  of  various  kinds,  among  them  piument  u  n'ot  fie  miel  ne 
poiwe.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  graal  is  brought  by  again, 

Qu'  a  cascun  mes  que  1'on  servoit, 
Par  devant  lui  trespasser  voit 
Le  graal  trestout  descovert ; 

yet  Perceval  chooses  to  put  off  asking  about  it  until  the  morrow. 

Perlesvaus : l  Gawain  is  lead  away  from  the  host  of  the  castle, 
back  into  the  hall.  There  he  now  finds  twelve  hoary  knights,  each 
older  than  a  hundred  years  though  seeming  to  be  scarce  forty.  He 
is  placed  at  a  moid  riche  table  d'ivoire  and  the  knights  take  their 
places  about  him.  He  is  told  to  remember  the  King's  entreaty  to 
ask  about  the  Grail.  The  dishes  served  are  :  lardez  de  cerf,  venison 
de  cenglier  and  many  others.  On  the  table  were  riche  veisselment 
d'argent  et  les  granz  coupes  d'or  couvesclees.  Candles,  too,  were 
lighted  yet  la  grant  clartez  qui  la  dcdenz  aparoit  esconssoit  la  lour* 

This  light  proceeds  from  the  Holy  Grail,  which  a  damsel  now 
brings  forth  from  the  chapel  (of  the  castle).  She  is  accompanied 
by  a  damsel,  carrying  the  Lance.  From  the  point  of  the  Lance 

1  pp.  87-89. 

8  Wolfram  (§  235)  only  mentions  the  unusual  brightness  of  Repanse's  (the- 
bearer  of  the  Grail)  countenance,  saying  nothing  of  the  brilliancy  of  the  GraiL 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  53 

drops  of  blood  trickle  into  the  Grail.  Side  by  side,  the  damsels 
walk  past  the  knights,  who  forget  to  eat  because  of  the  si  douce  et 
si  seintime  odour.  As  they  pass,  Gawain  has  visions  of  a  chalice 
in  the  Grail l  and  two  angels  with  lighted  candles.  The  damsels 
then  carry  the  relics  into  une  autre  chapele,  and  Gawain,  who  has 
become  pensive,  is  reminded  only  of  God. 

In  this  way  the  Grail  is  shown  three  times.2  The  second  time 
Gawain  sees  the  figure  of  a  child  in  the  Grail  and  three  angels 
instead  of  two ;  moreover,  three  drops  of  blood,  presumably  from 
the  Lance,  fall  on  the  table.  Gawain  stoops  to  kiss  these,  but 
failing  to  touch  them,  grows  more  thoughtful  than  before.  Though 
urged  by  one  of  the  knights  to  speak,  he  remains  silent.  The  third 
time,  his  vision  becomes  a  King  nailed  to  a  cross  (Christ).  Again 
his  companions  beg  him  to  speak,  but  the  sympathy  he  feels  for 
the  suffering  King  seals  his  lips.  Thereupon  the  Grail  and  Lance 
are  carried  back  to  the  chapel  whence  they  proceeded. 

IV. — The  Departure  from  the  Castle. 

Crestien : 3  The  host  bids  Perceval  good- night  and  is  carried 
into  his  room.  Perceval  also  goes  to  bed,  attended  by  several 
squires ;  however,  in  the  morning  when  he  awakes  he  is  alone. 
He  tries  to  go  into  other  rooms  of  the  castle  but  is  prevented  by 
bolted  doors.  Finally  he  obtains  egress  from  the  castle,  and  finds 
outside  his  horse  in  readiness  for  him.  Thinking  that  the  inmates 
of  the  castle  have  gone  into  the  forest  to  hunt,  he  starts  over  the 
drawbridge  which  is  down.  Before  he  is  quite  over,  it  is  raised 
by  unseen  hands  and  he  is  saved  only  by  a  leap  of  his  horse. 
Although  he  calls,  no  answer  is  given.  He  then  rides  into 
the  forest. 

Perlesvaus:*  The  table,  etc.,  is  removed,  when  the  Grail  has 
disappeared,  and  Gawain  is  left  alone  in  the  hall.  At  the  end  of 
the  hall,  the  doors  of  which  are  now  all  closed,  his  eye  again  falls 
on  the  chessboard,  which  now  has  gold  and  silver  men  on  it. 

1  dont  il  ni  iert  geires  a  icest  tens. 

1  The  second  time,  the  damsels  comes  from  la  Chambre  (?). 

3  vv.  4513-4600.  *  pp.  89,  90. 


54  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Gawain  goes  up  to  it  and  begins  to  move  the  silver  men ;  there- 
upon the  gold  men  play  against  him  of  their  own  accord,  and  he  is 
checkmated  twice.  He  avoids  a  third  defeat  by  interrupting  the 
game.  A  damsel  then  comes  out  of  a  room  and  orders  a  youth  to- 
take  away  the  board. 

At  last,  Gawain,  who  is  very  tired,  falls  asleep  and  does  not 
awake  until  roused  by  a  horn  in  the  morning.  He  is  unable  to 
bid  the  Fisher  King  good-bye  as  the  doors  are  all  bolted.  Service 
is  going  on  in  the  chapel  but  he  cannot  get  in.  A  damsel  tells 
him  this  is  due  to  his  mout  pen  de parole*  although  he  is  not  to 
blame  for  not  having  had  leave  to  speak.  Again  the  horn  sounds 
and  Gawain  hears  a  voice,  crying  to  hurry  for  the  bridges  are 
now  lowered ;  soon  they  will  be  raised  against  the  king  of  Chastel 
Mortel,  who  is  besieging  the  castle.  Gawain  goes  out,  finds  hi& 
horse  and  arms  ready  and  rides  into  the  forest. 

RELATION  OF  THE  VERSIONS  TO  EACH  OTHER. 

From  the  foregoing  analysis  the  general  agreement  of  the  two 
versions  is  seen  to  be  striking.  The  only  marked  difference  between 
them  consists  in  the  incidents  of  Gawain's  entry  to  the  Grail 
Castle  (by  the  marble  steps  and  the  painted  hall)  and  his  subse- 
quent experience  with  the  chessboard,  for  which  the  Perceral  has 
no  equivalents.  I  shall  discuss  this  point  in  full  later,  but  I  will 
say  here  that  the  presence  of  these  features  in  our  romance  may  be 
due  to  the  influence  of  Gautier.2  It  is  now  necessary  to  determine 
more  precisely  wherein  the  versions  agree  and  wherein  they  differ* 

I.  In  both  it  is  only  the  Fisher  King  that  fishes;3  the  hero 
(Perceval  or  Lancelot)  is  directed  to  a  castle  beyond  a  mountain, 
though  no  mountain  would  be  expected  in  the  prose  work,  in 
which  the  river  flows  through  a  meadow,4  not  la  vallee  d'une 

»Cf.  Wolfram  (§247). 

.  .  .  .  ir  sit  ein  gans 
moht  ir  gerxieret  ban  den  flans, 
und  het  den  writ  gevraget ! 
vil  priss  iuch  bit  betraget. 
JCf.  below. 

1  Both  describe  his  amenfon,  which  is  not  mentioned  in  Didot-Perceval. 
4Cf.  Didot-Perceval  (Hucher,  Le  Saint  Graal,  Mons,  1874),  Vol.  i,  p.  463. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  55 

angarde;  at  the  castle  the  hero  waits  in  an  ante-room  until  called 
by  the  host.  On  the  other  hand,  the  flowery  meadow  and  other 
minor  descriptive  features  of  our  romance  are  lacking  in  the 
Perceval;  further,  Lancelot  and  Gawain  have  no  difficulty  in  at 
once  finding  the  castle,  hence  do  not  doubt  the  host's  word. 

II.  The  descriptions  of  the  host  agree  in  most  of  the  details. 
The  pillar  of  copper  may  be  a  reminiscence  of  Crestien's  columns 
of  brass.     A  sword  figures  prominently  in  both  stories :   in  the 
Perceval  the  hero  is  presented  with  a  sword,  in  the  Perlevaus  he 
presents  one  to  the  host ;  in  each  instance  the  host'sjniece  has  a 
hand  in  the  transaction.     But  our  romance  has  no  direct  equiva- 
lent for  the  history  of  the  sword  and  makes  no  mention  of  a  fire. 
To  be  sure,  the  sword  which  Gawain  gives  away  is  connected  with 
the  history  of  John  the  Baptist  and  several  incidents  concerning  it 
were  previously  told.1     Our  romance  gives  a  new  explanation  of 
the  Fisher  King's  illness ;  namely,  Perceval's  failure  to  enquire 
concerning  the  Grail.     The  inference  to  be  drawn  from  this  pre- 
supposed visit  to  the  Grail  Castle  was  pointed  out  above.2 

III.  At  this  point  the  agreement  is  less  marked.     In  Perceval 
the  Grail  and  the  Lance  are  brought  into  the  hall  successively,  in 
the  order  indicated ;  in  our  work  they  appear  side  by  side,  in  such 
proximity  that  the  blood  dropping  from  the  Lance  falls  into  the 
Grail.     Crestien  relates  that  the  meal  is  served  before  the  host 
and    Perceval   together,  in  the  hall   where  they  met;   whereas, 
according  to  our  author,  Gawain  leaves  the  host,  passes  into  a  hall 
and  takes  a  seat  at  the  table  with  twelve  hoary  knights.      The 
description  of  these  knights  is  a  further  sign  that  the  author  was 
acquainted  with  legends  like  the  Brendan?     The  prose  version 
has  no  parallel  to  the  tailleor  d' argent,  which  Crestien  associates 
with  the  Grail. 

But  both  versions  agree  that  the  resplendence  of  the  Grail  sur- 
passes the  light  of  candles,  though  the  author  of  the  prose  work 
does  not  distinctly  state  that  the  "  gleam  "  springs  from  the  vessel 
itself,  and  the  candles  he  has  in  mind  are  those  of  the  hall.  How 
absurd  then  it  was  to  introduce  a  set  of  candles  into  the  Grail 

1  Potvin,  1.  c.,  p.  74.  »Cf.  p.  24. 

3  Cf.  above ;  also  Potvin,  1.  c.,  p.  38 :  quant  Fan  i  a  este  un  an,  ne  sanble  il  que  Pan 
t  ait  esle  un  mois. 


56  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

procession,  since  Crestien's  only  reason  for  mentioning  candles 
was  to  compare  them  to  the  Grail,  and  this  comparison  had  already 
been  made  in  our  romance.  Moreover,  Crestien  alone  explains 
the  question  concerning  the  Grail.  He  states  that  the  Grail  gives 
sustenance  to  the  host's  father ;  on  this  account  it  is  carried  into 
another  room.  But  in  our  work,  cui  on  en  servoit  refers  to  no  par- 
ticular person,  and  why  the  Grail  should  be  carried  into  une  autre 
chapele  is  just  as  obscure. 

Other  reasons  underlie  Gawain's  silence  than  an  uncle's  advice, 
which  is  the  cause  of  Perceval's  reticence.  Gawain's  re  very  over 
the  three  drops  of  blood  suggests  another  well-known  incident  of 
the  Perceval.1  One  night,  while  Perceval  sleeps,  there  is  a  snow- 
storm, and  a  flock  of  wild  geese,  blinded  by  the  snow,  has  one  of 
its  number  wounded  by  a  falcon.  Three  drops  of  blood  fall  on  the 
snow  from  the  wounded  goose,  and  when  Perceval  rises  in  the 
morning  and  sees  them,  he  falls  into  deep  thought  over  the  red 
and  white  in  his  love's  face.  Several  of  Arthur's  knights,  who 
arrive  on  the  scene,  try  to  rouse  him,  but  none  succeeds  until 
Gawain  entreats  him  with  kind  words.2  The  fact  that  Perceval's 

1  v.  5545;  cf.  also,  Loth,  Les  Mabinoyion,  Paris,  1889,  Vol.  n,  p.  70  (Peredur 
ab  jEtwoc),  in  which  the  simile  is  elaborated.  In  Diu  Krone  (Nutt,  op.  cit.,  p.  27) 
the  Grail  contains  three  drops  of  blood,  and  three  streams  of  blood  flow  from  the 
lance  in  Peredur  (Loth,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  n,  p.  60). 

*  Consult  on  this  episode  :  Heinrich  Zimmer,  Keltische  Sludien,  zweiter  Theil, 
Berlin,  1884.  Professor  Zimmer  gives  an  Irish  analogue  from  the  book  of 
Leinster,  containing  the  Peredur-form  of  the  simile.  On  Zimmer's  article  in 
turn,  consult  Golther,  Chrestien's  conte  del  Gracd  in  seinem  Verhaeltniss  zum  wael- 
schen  Peredur  und  zum  englischen  sir  Perceval,  Sitzunb.  der  K.  Bayer.  Acad.  der 
Wissensch.,  1890,  n,  2,  p.  185.  I  agree  fully  with  Golther  that  the  Peredur  ver- 
sion of  the  episode  is  a  combination  of  the  Crestien  version  and  the  Irish  tale  (or 
a  story  like  it)  cited  by  Zimmer. 

Doubtless  Golther  would  have  strengthened  his  view  considerably  by  citing  the 
list  of  similar  stories  adduced  in  a  commentary  on  this  episode  by  the  Grimms 
( AltdeuL  Waelder,  Vol.  I,  Cassel,  1813).  But  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  Golther 
and  Zimmer,  in  fact  everybody  except  Hertz  (Parzivdl,  zweite  Auflage,  Stuttgart, 
1898,  p.  509),  overlooked  the  work  that  the  Grimms  had  already  done.  The 
Grimms,  for  example,  give  in  full  (p.  10)  the  Irish  story  in  which  Prof.  Zimmer 
fancied  he  had  discovered  the  common  source  of  the  Peredur  and  Crestien  versions 
of  the  episode  under  discussion.  Furthermore,  in  a  note  (to  p.  2)  they  write : 

"  Auch  in  Roman  du  S.  Graal  versinnt  sich  Gauvain  ueber  die  drei  Blutstrop- 
fen  der  heiligen  Lanze,  welche  Sage  halb  hierher  gehoert  (edition  de  1521,  fol. 
145  a)."  This  must  be  our  romance,  although  the  only  incunabula  of  it  with 
which  I  am  acquainted  are  those  of  1517  and  1523  (cf.  above). 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  57 

revery  here  has  the  same  motive  as  Gawain's  above,  of  course, 
may  be  accidental ;  each  writer  may  have  hit  upon  the  motive 
independently.  Nevertheless,  if  the  Perlesvaus  is  based  on  the 
portion  of  Perceval  written  by  Crestien,  as  there  is  reason  to  believe, 
this  motive  probably  was  one  of  the  many  features  which  our  author 
borrowed.  The  fact  then  that  the  subject  of  the  revery  was  changed 
would  be  explained  by  the  religious  nature  of  the  Perlesvaus,  in 
which  an  adventure  of  love  would  have  been  quite  out  of  place.1 

IV.  The  important  features  of  Perceval's  departure  also  occur 
in  the  prose  version,  but  in  a  somewhat  obscure  form.  Gawain  is 
left  alone  at  night,  instead  of  being  surprised  (like  Perceval)  to 
find  the  hall  deserted  when  he  awakes  in  the  morning ;  and  the 
drawbridge  of  the  castle  is  not  raised  while  he  is  crossing  it,  but 
he  is  told  by  a  voice  to  hasten  for  presently  it  will  be  raised. 

What  now  is  the  inter-relation  of  the  two  versions?  The 
decisive  points  in  proof  of  the  general  priority  of  the  Perceval 
were  already  adduced  by  Birch-Hirschfeld  and  Heinzel.  These 
are :  the  question  concerning  the  Grail,  the  carrying  of  the  Grail 
into  une  autre  chapele,  the  reason  given  for  the  host's  fishing,  and 
the  presupposed  visit  of  Perceval  to  the  Grail  Castle.  To  these 
features  may  be  added:  the  fact  that  the  castle  lies  beyond  a 
mountain,  while  all  along  the  country  was  said  to  be  flat,  and  the 
candles  which  the  angels  carry  by  the  side  of  the  Grail ;  traits 
which  it  is  impossible  to  believe  our  author  invented.  It  is 

1  It  should  be  noted  here  that  one  of  the  striking  features  of  the  Qudte,  observed 
hy  Nutt,  is  that  the  Grail  strikes  its  beholders  dumb,  Nutt  remarks  (op.  cit., 
p.  76) : 

"  It  is  in  any  case  difficult  to  believe  that  if  the  writer  of  the  Queste,  with  his 
strong  tendency  to  mystic  allegory,  had  had  before  him  the  highly  spiritual  pre- 
sentment of  the  Grail-power  in  B  (sc.  Robert),  he  would  have  neglected  it  in 
favor  of  the  materialistic  description  he  uses.  In  one  point  this  version  differs 
from  all  others,  the  dumbness  with  which  the  Grail  strikes  those  to  whom  it 
appears."  The  last  observation,  concerning  the  dumbness,  is  interesting.  Gaston 
Paris  (op.  til.,  §  60)  holds  that  the  original  Quett,  now  lost  in  French,  but  preserved 
in  Portuguese,  was  partly  based  on  Perlesvaus.  The  above  trait  disagrees  wholly 
with  the  rest  of  the  description  in  the  Qudte  ;  hence,  a  very  plausible  explanation 
of  its  origin  is  to  attribute  it  to  the  influence  of  the  Perlesvaus,  in  which  the 
dumbness  which  overcomes  Gawain  at  the  sight  of  the  blood  of  the  Lance  is  the 
cause  of  his  silence  in  regard  to  the  Grail. 


58  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

thus  evident  either  that  the  versions  are  derived  from  a  common 
original,  or  that  the  prose  version  is  based  on  the  Perceval  account. 
The  first  supposition  may  at  once  be  set  aside ;  yet  a  few  words 
by  way  of  explanation  are  necessary. 

No  third  version  that  might  serve  as  a  source  for  the  two  works 
is  known  to  exist.  While  a  number  of  other  Grail  works  contain 
an  episode  with  many  of  the  characteristics  detailed  above,  a  direct 
relationship  to  any  of  these  works  is  out  of  question.1  Moreover, 
it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  prose  version  contains  no  important  vari- 
ation from  the  Perceval  which  cannot  be  attributed  to  a  difference 
of  setting,  to  the  substitution  of  prose  for  verse,  or  to  the  influence 
of  the  mystical  views  of  the  writer. 

If  then  it  is  certain  that  the  prose  version  is  based  on  the 
Perceval,  the  question  to  consider  is  the  nature  of  the  dependence. 
In  determining  this  the  minor  differences  between  the  versions  are 
of  importance.  The  number  of  details  in  which  the  versions  dif- 
fer shows  that  their  relationship  is  not  close.  But  most  significant 
is  the  different  order  in  which  certain  details,  common  to  both,  are 
arranged  in  each  version.  It  is  this  difference  which  leads  in  the 
prose  version  to  such  inconsistencies  as  a  mountain  in  a  country 
termed  level  and  candles  illuminating  an  object  which  itself  emits 
light.  If  we  suppose  that  our  author  was  actually  transcribing  a 
a  copy  of  the  Perceval — at  least,  of  that  part  of  it  which  contains  the 
Grail  episode, — we  must  assume  that  in  making  changes  he  had  a 
plausible  end  in  view.  His  aim  may  have  been  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  to  adapt  Crestien's  episode  to  the  plan  and  spirit  of  his 
own  composition,  without  claiming  the.  credit  of  having  invented 
the  story.  Or,  it  may  have  been  his  aim  to  be  considered  original, 
though  from  the  character  of  his  modifications  we  should  never 
suspect  that  it  was.  It  is  incredible,  however,  that  the  above  in- 
consistencies could  have  been  purposely  made  in  compliance  with 
either  of  these  aims. 

This  discussion  is  sufficient  to  prove  that  the  Perlesvaus  version 
was  not  modelled  directly  upon  the  Perceval.  Even  the  possibility 

1  Namely,  Parzival  (Bk.  v),  Didot- Perceval,  Welsh  Peredur,  Diu  Krone,  and  the 
Q^ete.  The  chronological  argument  excludes  Parzival,  the  Didot- Perceval  has 
been  assigned  its  true  place  by  Heinzel  (op.  cil.,  p.  117  ff.) ;  with  the  other  works 
the  agreement  is  slight. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  59 

that  it  was  derived  from  an  intermediate  source,  a  popularized 
form  of  Crestien's  poem  vanishes,  if  we  consider  the  absolutely 
senseless  way  in  which  certain  traits  of  the  Perceval  have  been 
retained.  Obviously,  the  easiest  conclusion  is  to  agree  with  Birch- 
Hirschfeld  that  the  author  wrote  the  version  wholly,  or  in  part, 
from  memory.  That  is,  he  followed  the  Perceval  blindly  for  as 
much  of  the  story  as  he  remembered  and  as  suited  his  special 
purposes.  In  this  way,  he  may  at  times  have  varied  from  the 
original  while  under  the  impression  that  he  was  true  to  it.  The 
fact  that  the  version  apparently  contains  no  borrowings  from 
Crestien  in  the  matter  of  phraseology  lends  strength  to  this  view 
of  its  origin. 

ORIGIX  OF  THE  CHESSBOARD  STORY  IN  Perlesvaus. 

We  now  have  to  consider  the  incidents  of  Gawain's  entry  into 
the  Grail  Castle  (by  way  of  the  marble  steps  and  the  painted  hall) 
and  his  experience  with  the  chessboard,  which  are  not  related  by 
Crestien,  either  in  connection  with  the  vision  of  the  Grail  or  else- 
where in  his  portion  of  the  Perceval.  Although  these  incidents 
are  separated  in  the  prose  version  by  a  series  of  events,  they  are 
parts  of  an  identical  story.  It  is  probable  that  this  story  was 
originally  distinct  from  the  Grail  episode.  An  independent  ver- 
sion of  it  is  found  in  the  Continuation  of  Gautier.1  Briefly  out- 
lined, the  Gautier  version  runs  as  follows  : 

Arriving  one  day  before  a  certain  castle,  Perceval  dismounts 
from  his  horse,  leans  his  shield  against  the  base  of  the  main-tower, 
and  ascends  by  a  flight  of  stairs  into  a  hall.  The  hall  is  described 
as  being  very  beautiful ;  it  is  decorated  with  all  sorts  of  armor, 
lances  and  swords,  but  no  living  soul  is  in  it.  Perceval  sits  down 
for  a  while  on  a  couch  and  lets  his  eye  wander  about : 

Et  vit  la  sale  toute  painte 
N'i  avoit  angle  ne  fust  tainte. 

Presently  he  becomes  aware  of  a  door  which  opens  into  another 
room.  Entering  this  room,  which  is  filled  with  a  sweet  odor,  he 
comes  upon  a  chessboard. 

1  v.  22400  ff. 


60  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

For  point  d'asur  et  de  fin  or 
Moult  1'eurent  fait  par  grant  sens  Mor: 
Li  rices  eskes  d'or  polis 
D'esmeraudes  et  de  rubis. 

He  moves  a  pawn  (paonnet  errant),  and  noticing  that  his  move 
produces  a  counter-move  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  board,  he 
begins  a  game  with  no  other  opponent  than  the  chessmen  them- 
selves. In  this  way  he  is  mated  three  times.  After  the  third 
defeat,  however,  filled  with  anger,  he  seizes  the  chessmen,  goes  to 
the  window  and  is  about  to  cast  them  into  the  moat  below,  when 
suddenly  a  beautiful  damsel  rises  to  the  window  and  intercedes  for 
the  chessmen.  Perceval  is  at  once  so  struck  with  her  beauty  that 
he  promises  to  restore  the  chessmen  to  the  board,  provided  she 
will  grant  him  her  love.  'This  the  damsel  is  willing  to  do  on 
stipulated  conditions,  which  Perceval  proceeds  to  fulfill. 

The  story  is  also  found  in  the  Welsh  Peredur  *  and  the  Didot- 
Perceval,2  though  for  reasons  stated  above  it  is  improbable  that 
either  of  these  forms  was  the  source  of  our  version.  It  is  to  be 
noted,  moreover,  that  they  contain  no  reference  to  the  painted  hall 
(with  the  steps  leading  to  it),  which  Gautier  and  our  author  both 
record,  furthermore,  the  latter  alone  describe  the  chessboard — 
and  in  similar  terms.  Both  state  that  the  knight  is  in  a  deserted 
hall,  in  which  there  is  this  beautiful  chessboard.  The  chessmen 
of  one  color  play  against  him  of  their  own  accord,  and  mate  him 
twice.  During  the  third  game  he  grows  angry  and  resorts  to 
violence.  According  to  Gautier,  the  damsel  prevents  him  from 
destroying  the  chessmen;  and  in  Perlesvaus,  a  damsel  simply  has 
the  board  and  men  removed. 

In  the  absence  of  other  possible  sources  there  is  thus  no  reason 
to  question  that  the  version  in  our  romance  is  based  on  that  of 
Gautier.  Certainly,  there  is  much  less  reason  to  believe  that  our 
author  originated  the  story.  The  episode  is  not  told  by  Crestien, 
and  of  the  romances  in  which  it  is  found,  Gautier's  Continuation 
is  in  every  respect  nearest  to  our  romance. 

But  in  Perlesvaus  the  details  of  the  story  are  neither  so  com- 
plete nor  so  clear  as  in  Gautier's  poem.  The  appearance  of  the 

1  Cf.  Loth,  Les  MaAinogion,  Paris,  1889,  Vol.  n. 
sCf.  Hucher,  op.  cit.,  Vol.  i,  p.  439. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  61 

damsel,  for  example,  is  as  pointless  as  are  many  details  in  other 
episodes  of  Perlesvaus',  her  presence  was  not  required,  since  Gawain 
was  not  going  to  destroy  the  chessman  as  Perceval  intended  to  do 
according  to  Gautier.  Indeed,  the  inter-relation  of  the  two  ver- 
sions does  not  seem  to  differ  from  the  relationship  we  found  above 
to  exist  between  our  romance  and  the  Perceval  proper.  Further, 
the  manner  in  which  this  story  is  confounded  with  the  Grail  epi- 
sode confirms  the  view  that  our  author  composed  his  work  from 
memory. 

OTHER  AGREEMENTS  WITH  CRESTIEN'S  POEM. 

No  further  agreements  of  importance  between  the  two  romances 
are  to  be  found.  There  is,  to  be  sure,  a  story  in  Perlesvaus  of  a 
damsel  in  a  beleaguered  town,  whom  Perceval  rescues  and  whose 
affection  he  thus  wins — calling  to  mind  the  Blanchefleur 1  episode 
of  Crestien ;  but  the  similarity  here  is  entirely  too  vague  to  be 
due  to  imitation.  Moreover,  this  story  has  certain  general  traits 
in  common  with  Crestien's  Yvain a  and  the  experience  of  Gawain 
at  the  Castle  of  Wonders  in  Perceval,5  a  fact  which  indicates  rather 
that  our  author  and  Crestien  followed  similar  forms  of  the  well- 
known  legend  of  the  Land  of  Women.4 

The  fact  that  the  remainder  of  the  Perlesvaus  presents  no  im- 
portant situations  resembling  those  of  the  Perceval  proper  is  not 
surprising.  We  saw  above  what  a  different  construction  from 
Crestien  our  author  places  on  the  Grail  quest.  The  principal  epi- 
sode of  the  Perceval,  the  pivot  so  to  speak  on  which  the  poem 
turns,  and  the  salient  facts  of  the  hero's  origin  were,  as  we  observed 
turned  to  account  in  the  composition  of  the  prose  work.  But  we 
cannot  suppose  that  the  author  ever  intended  to  imitate — even  as 
regards  the  framework — those  episodes  of  Perceval  in  which  the 
hero  is  fitted  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  quest.  Crestien's  idea 
that  experience  of  the  world  is  essential  to  man's  happiness  is 

1Cf.  Perlesv.,  pp.  113  ff.,  136  ff.  A  knight,  Clamadex,  plays  a  part  in  the  Per- 
lesvaus tale  ;  cf.  the  role  of  Clamados  in  Perceval  (v.  3197). 

2  Perceval  is  in  reality  the  damsel's  greatest  enemy,  yet  she  falls  in  love  with 
him  at  first  sight;  cf.  Perlesv.,  p.  117. 

3 Perceval  like  Gawain  breaks  a  spell;  the  damsel's  castle  being  a  sort  of 
fairy-land. 

4  Cf.  Meyer  and  Nutt,  The  Voyage  of  Bran,  London,  1895,  Vol.  I,  p.  164. 


62  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

surely  incompatible  with  our  author's  austere  convictions  as  to  the 
chief  aim  in  life.  Besides,  so  far  as  this  experience  meant  practice 
in  arms,  it  was  a  stage  of  development  which  his  hero  had  long 
ago  reached.  Hence,  even  if  it  were  proved  that  he  was  acquainted 
with  additional  episodes  of  Crestieu's  work,  it  is  easy  to  see  why 
he  might  have  disregarded  them. 

In  Perlesvaus,  Perceval  first  appears  on  the  scene  at  the  cell  of 
the  Hermit  King,  his  uncle.  By  this  fact  the  author  may  have 
wished  to  indicate  that  his  story  (proper)  was  to  begin  precisely 
where  Crestieu's  main  narrative  breaks  off;  namely,  with  the 
noted  repentance  of  Perceval  on  Good  Friday.  The  remainder 
of  Crestien's  share  of  Perceval  is  concerned  with  the  expedition  of 
Gawain  to  Moutesclaire,  to  rescue  a  damsel,  and  the  adventures 
which  befell  him  on  the  way.  In  this  portion  there  is  little  or 
nothing  which  could  have  appealed  to  our  author's  fancy. 

The  Perlesvaus,  however,  contains  several  minor  traces  of  the 
Perceval  proper,  which  are  worth  noting : 

1.  It  is  possible  to  assume  that  the  Damsels  of  the  Cart1  (not 
"  Chair,"  as  the  Welsh  translator  supposed)  were  suggested  by 
Crestien's  Loathy  Messenger.2  The  Damsels  come  with  a  message 
from  the  Fisher  King ;  that  is,  from  the  Grail  Castle,  much  as  the 
Loathy  Messenger  comes,  who  knows  all  about  the  unfortunate 
events  at  the  Grail  Castle  and  is  incensed  because  of  them.  The 
leader  of  the  Damsels  refuses  to  dismount  from  her  mule ;  she  may 
not  dismount  where  there  are  knights,  until  the  Grail  be  won. 

Crestien  straightway  says  of  his  Messenger  : 3 

Jusque  devant  le  roi  se  lance 
La  damosele  sor  la  mule.4 

Whilst  the  Damsels  of  the  Cart  are  not  noted  for  their  ugliness, 
as  Crestien's  Messenger  is,  they  all  suffered  more  or  less  harm 
from  Perceval's  failure  to  inquire  as  to  the  use  of  the  Grail.  The 
first  of  them,  upon  a  mule  whiter  than  snow,  is  beautiful  of  body 
but  not  of  countenance ;  she  carries  her  right  arm  in  a  sling  and 
her  head  is  quite  bald.  The  second  Damsel  rides  like  an  esquire 
with  a  wallet.  The  third  goes  on  foot  and  carries  a  whip  with 

1  Perlesvaus,  p.  24  ff.  8  v.  5981. 

J  v.  6016.  4  Perceval  is  to  blame  for  her  discourtesy. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  63 

•which  she  drives  along  the  horses  of  her  companions.  Further- 
more, the  leader  says :  mes  chies  estoit  mout  biaus  et  cheveluz  et 
galonez  de  riches  trecours  d'or,  au  point  que  li  chevaliers  vint  an 
I'ostel  le  riche  roi  Pescheor,  mes  je  deving  chauve  por  ce  qu'il  nefist 
la  demande.  On  that  very  account,  the  Fisher  King  fell  ill :  toutes 
les  terres  an  furent  conmeues  en  gerre:  ne  chevalier  n'an contre  puis 
outre  ou  il  n'eust  contacon  d'arme  sans  nule  autre  achoison.  The 
Cart  which  is  drawn  after  her  is  a  symbol  of  Fortune :  car  autre- 
sint  comme  li  chars  vet  sor  les  roueles,  demaine  ele  le  siecle  aus  .11. 
damoiseles  qui  la  suivent. 

With  these  features  may  be  compared :  the  fact  that  the  Loathy 
Messenger  rides  a  fauve  mule,  carrying  a  whip  in  her  right  hand ; 
that  she  is  so  hideous  que  riens  si  laide  a  devise  nefu  neis  dedens 
infer;  the  greeting  she  gives  Perceval : 

Ha !  Perceval,  fortune  est  cauve 
Derriere  et  devant  chevelue 

.        .        .        tu  ne  1'as  desiervi  mie 
Fortune  quant  tu  1'encontras. 

Further,  that  the  Fisher  King's  illness  would  have  been  cured 
had  the  question  about  the  Grail  been  asked — now,  however : 

Dames  en  perdront  lor  maris, 
Tieres  en  seront  essilies, 
Et  pucieles  desconsellies ; 
Orfenes,  veves  en  remanront ; 
Et  maint  chevalier  en  morront; 
Tout  cil  mal  avenront  par  toi. 

At  the  same  time  this  notion  of  the  Damsels  of  the  Cart  may 
antedate  the  composition  of  the  Perceval.  They  evidently  are 
under  the  protection  of  some  Re'me  de  Puceles,  a  common  figure 
in  Breton  lays,  and  the  Loathy  Messenger  may  occupy  a  similar 
rank.  But  the  Damsels  and  their  Cart  typify  Fortune,  while  the 
Messenger  merely  refers  to  Fortune.  In  the  literature  of  the  time, 
invocations  etc.  of  Fortune  and  her  wheel  abound,  we  have  but  to 
glance  through  the  Romans  d'aventures  to  find  them ;  and  there  is 
scarcely  an  Arthurian  romance  which  does  not  contain  a  damsel- 
messenger. 


64  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

2.  The  Lonely  Forest  is   also    mentioned  in  Perlesvaus:  la. 
soteinne  forest,1  la  forest  souteinne.2 

Compare  Crestien  : 

li  fius  a  la  vaive  dame 
De  la  foriest  soutaine? 
Si  (Perceval)  se  met  esfories  soulaines.* 

3.  Gawain  never  conceals  his  name : 

"  Mes  nons  nefu  onques  celez  puis  que  i'an  le  me 

demandast.    L'an  m'apele  Gauvain,  le  neveu  le  roi 

Artu."  5 
"  Damoisele,"  fet-il,  "  mon  non  vos  doi-je  bien  dire. 

L'an  m'apele  monseigneur  Gauvain  le  neveu  le  roi 

Artu."  6 

Compare  Crestien : 

"  Onques  mes  noms  ne  fu  celes 
En  lieu  ou  il  me  fust  requis ; 
N'onques  encore  ne  li  dis 
S'ancois  demandes  ne  fu."  T 

4.  In  Perceval,  the  first  knight  that  Perceval  sends  to  Arthur's 
court  is  Clamados;  the  latter  has  instructions  from  Perceval  to 
console  the  damsel  whom   Kex   had  slapped  on  the   cheek  for 
intimating  (by  laughter)  that  Perceval  is  the  flower  of  chivalry. 
Further  on  in  the  poem  we  read  : 

De  la  bufle  que  ele  ot  prise 
Estoit-ele  bien  respassee ; 
Mais  oubliee  ne  passee 
La  honte  n'avoit-ele  mie 
Que  mout  est  mauvais  qui  oblie 
S'on  li  fait  honte  ne  laidure.8 

A  scene  similar  to  this  occurs  in  Perlesvaus9  where  a  damsel  is 
the  means  by  which  Kex  is  convicted  of  murdering  Lohot,  the  son 

1  Perlesv.,  p.  151.  2  Ibid.,  pp.  181,  187. 

3  Perceval,  V.  1288.  *  Ibid.,  v.  2895. 

5  Perlesv.,  p.  57.  6  Ibid.,  p.  29. 

7  Crestien,  v.  7000  ff.     Of.  also  Pseudo-Gautier,  v.  12073.     This  is  one  of 
Gawain's  commonest  characteristics ;  cf.  for  other  romances  in  which  it  is  found, 
Hist.  Lilt.,  Vol.  xxx,  pp.  1-270.     Crestien,  however,  is  the  first  author,  in  point 
of  time,  to  mention  it. 

8  v.  4076.  9p.  222. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  65 

of  Arthur.  The  romance  says  :  La  damoisele  qui  le  coffre  aporta 
se  fut  bien  vengiee  de  la  honte  que  misires  Kex  li  seneschauz  lifist 
un  jor  qui  passa,  car  ceste  chose  ne  fust  pas  si  toste  seue  se  par  lui 
nefust.  What  this  honte  was,  the  romance  does  not  state.  There 
is  no  objection,  however,  against  connecting  it  with  the  above 
account  in  Perceval. 

5.  In  view  of  the  advice  Perceval  receives  from  Gonemans  in 
Perceval:1  "  ne  soies  trop  parliers  ....  Li  sages  le  dist  et  retrait 
qui  trop  parole  pechie  fait,"  it  is  significant  that  in  praising  the 
hero  in  Perlesvaus  Joseus  the  Hermit  says : 2  Si  ne  vost  onques 
gaster  sa  parole. 

So,  too,  (Dresden's  Veve  Dame  sums  up  her  counsels  to  her 
son,  before  he  departs  into  the  world,  with  the  words :  .  .  .  "  Ne 
deceez  De  son  lignage  (his  father's)  ne  del  mien" 3  At  Kamaalot, 
in  Perlesvaus*  she  expresses  about  the  same  sentiment  in :  " Si 
ne  forligneroiz  mie  vostre  lignage." 


1  v.  2840.  2  p.  151. 

3  v.  1615.  *p.  185. 

5 


RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  PERLESVAUS  TO  THE 
CONTINUATIONS  OF  THE  PERCEVAL. 


«.   PSEUDO-GAUTIER. 

The  first  continuator  of  Crestien's  poem  carried  the  work  down 
to  v.  21916,  completing  the  Gawain  episode,  but  leaving  unfinished 
the  main  narrative  which  relates  to  the  Grail.  His  name  is  not 
known,  but  as  his  portion  of  the  work  was  formerly  incorporated, 
without  distinction,  in  that  of  Gautier  de  Dourdan,  he  is  now 
generally  called  Pseudo-Gautier.  The  celebrated  story  of  Carados 
and  his  supernatural  father,  which  for  a  long  time  was  ascribed  to 
Gautier,  properly  belongs  to  his  share  of  the  poem.  In  this  story, 
it  will  be  remembered,  Birch- Hirschfeld  saw  the  origin  of  Lance- 
lot's adventure  at  Gaste  Oite,1  related  in  our  romance. 

Considering  that  there  are  altogether  eight  versions  of  this  story 
extant,  five  of  which  had  been  brought  to  light  before  Birch - 
Hirschfeld's  treatise  was  published,  it  is  surprising  that  this 
writer  should  dispose  of  the  Lancelot  version  in  the  brief  manner 
we  observed  above.  He  claims  to  be  satisfied  that  our  author  took 
the  story  from  the  work  of  Pseudo-Gautier,  because  "  der  ihm  doch 
als  Fortsetzer  von  Chrestiens  Gedichte  am  ehesten  zur  Hand  sein 
konnte." '  But  he  offers  no  evidence  in  confirmation  of  this  view, 
which  has  thus  the  value  only  of  supposition. 

Since  Birch-Hirschfeld's  book  appeared,  light  has  been  thrown 
on  the  Lancelot  version  in  another  connection.  The  Middle  Eng- 
lish form  of  the  story,  that  of  Syr  Gawayne  and  the  Grene  Knyght, 
early  became  the  subject  of  investigation  because  of  its  distinctive 
poetic  qualities.3  In  a  study  of  this  version,  Miss  Martha  C. 

1  Cf.  above,  p.  24. 

2  Birch-Hirschfeld,  op.  cit.,  p.  138. 

8  Ed.  Richard  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.,  London,  1869,  2nd  edition.  The  other  ver- 
sions of  the  story  are  found  in  :  Heinrich  v.  d.  Tuerlin,  diu  Krone,  ed.  J.  H.  F. 
Scholl,  Stuttgart,  1852 ;  IM  Mule  sam  Frein  in  Me"on,  Nouveau  Recueil,  I,  15 ;  the 

66 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  67 

Thomas,1  following  a  suggestion  of  Sir  Fred.  Madden,  adduced 
reasons  to  show  that  the  English  poet  united  in  his  work  individual 
traits  of  the  Carados  and  Lancelot  versions.  That  is,  the  fact  is 
there  brought  out  that  our  romance  and  the  English  poem  possess 
in  common  characteristics  of  the  story  which  are  not  mentioned  by 
Pseudo-Gautier.  Furthermore,  these  characteristics  are  shown  to 
be  more  archaic  than  those  of  the  Pseudo-Gautier  version.  This 
agreement  between  our  romance  and  the  English  poem  Gaston 
Paris,  in  his  criticism  of  Miss  Thomas'  work,2  admits  to  be  true, 
although  he  later  rejects3  the  idea  that  the  English  poet  used 
either  of  the  French  versions  mentioned.  The  source  of  the  Eng- 
lish poem,  according  to  Paris,  was  rather  an  Anglo-Norman  work, 
which  is  now  lost,  but  which  may  have  been  the  prototype  also  of 
the  Perlesvaus  and  Pseudo-Gautier  versions.4 

Irish  tale  Fled  Bricrend,  of  which  G.  Paris  gives  an  outline  in  the  Hist,  litt.,  vol. 
xxx,  p.  77  ;  the  same  in  another  form,  in  the  Book  of  the  Dun  Cow,  from  which  it 
was  translated  by  Kuno  Meyer  ( Revue  Celtique,  vol.  xi v,  p.  455 ) ;  Gauvain  et  Hun- 
baut  in  MS.  of  the  Chantilly  library,  for  contents  cf.  Hisl.  Hit.,  vol.  xxx,  p.  69. 

1  Syr  Gawain  and  the  Green  Knight,  Zuerich,  1883. 

2  Romania,  xn,  377.  3  Hist,  litt.,  vol.  xxx,  p.  71  ff. 

*The  episode  is  probably  originally  a  "test"  story,  pure  and  simple,  like  the 
lit  merveilleux,  for  example  (cf.  Chev.  a  Vepee,  ed.  Armstrong,  Baltimore,  1900,  vv. 
453-781).  This  type  is  represented  in  the  Fled  Bricrend,  where  the  episode  is 
used  to  prove  the  valor  of  Cuchulinn.  In  this  early  type,  the  form  of  the  chal- 
lenge reveals  the  superhuman  nature  of  the  challenger :  the  hero  knows  from  the 
start  that  he  is  dealing  with  a  magician  (contrast  with  this  the  "one  stroke  for 
another"  of  the  Grene  Knyght  version).  If  allowance  be  made  for  certain  dif- 
ferences in  detail,  etc.,  the  Carados  and  Grene  Knyght  versions  may  be  classed 
with  this  type.  On  the  other  hand,  in  diu  Krone,  Mule  sans  frein  and  Lancelot 
versions,  the  episode  is  found  connected  with  a  visit  to  an  enchanted  castle  or 
city,  whither  the  hero  goes  and  submits  to  the  "  test"  in  order  to  break  a  spell. 
In  general,  we  thus  have  two  distinct  types  of  the  story.  Others  have  already 
pointed  out  that  the  Lancelot  and  Grene  Knyght  versions  agree,  as  against  the 
other  versions,  in  the  fact  that  the  hero  flinches  at  the  first  return  blow.  In  all 
the  versions,  except  the  Carados,  the  challenger  uses  an  axe ;  in  only  the  Dun 
Cow,  Mule  sans  frein  and  Grene  Knyght  is  he  a  giant.  In  the  Irish  versions  and,  of 
course,  the  Mule  sans  frein  and  diu  Krone,  the  return  strokes  are  given  the  next 
day  ;  in  the  other  versions  they  are  given  the  next  year.  On  that  occasion, 
according  to  the  Grene  Knyght  and  Mul,e  sans  frein,  the  hero  sees  the  challenger 
come  forth  from  a  cave.  Further,  the  Lancelot,  diu  Krone  and  Mule  sans  frein 
differ  fiom  the  other  versions  in  the  form  of  the  challenge  (the  hero  has  the 
choice  of  accepting  the  "  test"  or  of  losing  his  head  on  the  spot).  A  thorough 
study  of  the  episode  remains  to  be  made. 


68  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

This  discussion  suffices  to  show  that  the  latter  must  be  regarded 
as  in  the  main  independent  of  one  another.  In  several  features 
the  Lancelot  version  agrees  with  the  form  of  the  story  embodied  in 
the  romance  La  mule  sans  frein  ;  but  the  question  of  this  relation- 
ship cannot  be  discussed  here.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
whether  our  author  was  acquainted  with  two  versions  of  the  story  : 
the  one  being  the  Carados  version  ;  and  the  other,  a  version  similar  to 
the  Mule  sans  frein  type.  Then  we  might  suppose  that  he  received 
the  suggestion  for  his  own  version  from  the  poem  of  Pseudo- 
Gautier,  and  the  material  for  it  from  some  other  work.  But  as 
there  is  no  means  of  answering  this  question,  it  may  also  be  dis- 
missed. Suffice  it  to  add  that  the  Carados  adventure,  interesting 
as  it  is  in  itself,  has  long  been  recognized  to  be  out  of  place  in  the 
poem  of  Pseudo-Gautier ; *  it  has  no  direct  bearing  on  the  princi- 
pal narrative,  and  apparently  serves  to  throw  the  entire  work  into 
confusion. 

The  independence  of  our  romance  and  the  present  continuation 
with  respect  to  this  episode  is  all  the  more  striking,  as  there  are 
at  least  two  agreements  between  them  which  apparently  show 
that  they  are  related.  The  story  at  the  basis  of  the  first  of  these 
agreements  is  told  thus  by  Pseudo-Gautier : 

In  a  combat  with  Brun  de  Bralant  Gawain  had  received  a 
wound  ;  until  this  wound  is  healed,  he  is  in  Arthur's  care  and  must 
remain  quiet.  In  the  course  of  time,  however,  he  grows  weary  of 
doing  nothing  and  longs  for  a  combat ;  so  one  morning  he  has 
himself  hastily  armed  and  makes  his  escape.  But  Kei,  the  seneschal, 
sees  him  ride  forth  and  at  once  reports  the  fact  to  the  King. 

"  Vostre  neveu  aves  perdu.'' 2 
"Tos  quide  estre  garis  et  sains; 

Puis  qu'il  sera  fors  as  plains, 

Se  il  trueve  aucun  chevalier 

Qui  le  voelle  contraloier 

Tantost  a  lui  se  combatra, 

La  cars  novele  desrompra 

Si  morra  ileuc  maintenant."  3 

Arthur  rides  in  pursuit,  but  on  reaching  Gawain  learns  that  the 
latter  has  no  intention  to  engage  in  combat : 

1  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  tit.,  p.  32.  z  v.  11945.  3v.  11953. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  69 

"  Ains  me  voel  deduire  et  esbatre  " 
and 

"  Pour  assaier  et  pour  sentir 
Se  d'armes  me  poroie  aidier 
Se  j'en  avoie  onques  mestier." 

So  the  King  permits  him  to  proceed. 

After  riding  some  distance,  Gawain  crosses  a  stream  and 

Viers  une  lande  s'adreca 
A  .1.  bruellet  qu'il  ot  veu 
Mervelles  bel  et  bien  fuellu. 

The  weather  is  fair,  and  the  grove  is  filled  with  birds, 

Que  cantent  cler  et  docement ; 
Mesire  Gauvains  les  entent 
S'arestut  por  oir  les  sons 
Et  les  dous  cans  des  oisselons 
Et,  quant  un  poi  les  ot  ois, 
Ses  cuers  en  fu  moult  esjois ; 
II  point  et  fist  .1.  grant  esles— 

He  now  feels  that  his  old  strength  has  come  back,  and  before  he 
is  aware  of  having  gone  far,  he  has  passed  several  such  groves. 

N'a  talent  de  venir  arriere, 
Ains  pense  qu'en  nule  maniere 
Arriere  en  Post  ne  tornera 
Tant  c'aucune  noviele  ora' 
Que  il  ait  trovet  aventure. 

This  wish  is  fulfilled,  for  presently  he  arrives  before  a  tent,  the 
sole  inmate  of  which  is  a  beautiful  damsel.  The  damsel  receives 
him  with  joy  and  offers  him  favors  which  he  is  only  too  ready  to 
accept.  As  a  consequence  of  his  relations  with  her,  he  is  soon  after 
waylaid  by  her  father  and  brother.  A  conflict  ensues,  which  is 
about  to  be  decided  in  his  favor,  when  suddenly  his  old  wound 
begins  to  bleed  and  he  has  to  sue  for  peace. 

The  passage  corresponding  to  this  in  Perlesvaus  runs  as  follows  :  * 

A  longing  for  combat  drives  Perceval — who  has  been  ill — forth 

from  the  cell  of  his  uncle,  the  Hermit  King,  while  the  latter  is 

away.     Parluifet  (sc.  Perceval)  se  santi  plus  heitiez  et  plus  viguereus 

1  p.  105. 


70  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

qu'il  ne  souloit  estre.  II  ot  les  oisiax  chanteler  en  la  forest  et  li  cuers 
li  conmance  a  espandre  de  chevalerie,  et  li  souvient  des  aventures  qu'il 
souloit  trouver  es  fores  et  des  damoiseles  et  des  chevaliers  que  souloit 
ancontrer,  ne  fu  onques  mes  plus  antalantis  d'armes  qu'il  estoit  lores, 
por  ce  qu'il  avoit  tant  sejorne.  II  sant  la  vigor  an  son  cuer  et  la 
force  en  ces  manbres  et  la  volante  an  sa  panssee,  il  s'est  armez  tantost 
et  met  la  sel  sor  son  cheval  et  monte  tantost. 

Perceval  enters  the  forest  which  was  large  and  shady ;  riding 
until  he  conies  to  a  large  glade  (lande),  he  stops  under  .1.  arbre 
foillu  qui  estoit  au  chief  de  la  lande}  and  longs  for  a  combat.  By 
and  by,  he  hears  a  horse  neighing  in  the  forest.  He  prays  God 
that  a  knight  may  be  near  :  "  si  que  je  puisse  esprouver  se  il  a  force 
ne  valor  ne  chevalerie  en  moi.  Quar  je  ne  sai  ore  de  quel  povoir  je 
sui,  ne  mes  tant  que  je  sens  mon  cuer  sein  et  mes  membres  haitiez." 
Hence,  he  hopes  that  the  knight  may  be  a  match  for  him,  but  God 
grant  "  qu'il  ne  m'ocie  ne  je  lui."  Thereupon  a  knight  appears 
and  Perceval  challenges  him. 

While  the  knight  and  Perceval  are  measuring  lances,  the  Hermit 
King  returns  to  the  cell,  and  seeing  that  his  nephew  is  gone,  sets 
out  to  find  him.  Attracted  by  the  sound  of  blows,  he  comes  upon 
the  two  fighting.  Fearing  for  the  welfare  of  Perceval,  he  proceeds 
at  once  to  interrupt  the  conflict.  His  arrival  proves  indeed  to  be 
opportune  as  Perceval  and  the  stranger,  who  turns  out  to  be 
Lancelot,  are  both  wounded. 

The  second  passage  of  Pseudo-Gautier  which  has  a  close  parallel 
in  our  romance,  goes  thus  : l 

On  returning  to  the  Court,  from  the  Grail  Castle,  Gawain,  over- 
come by  fatigue,  repairs  early  to  bed  and  falls  into  deep  slumber. 
Arthur,  however,  is  kept  awake  by  a  severe  thunder-storm. 

A  cele  nuit  que  je  vos  di, 
Plut  et  touna  et  esparti, 
Li  airs  fu  par  la  grant  color 
Commens  en  grant  tenebror. 

Despairing  of  repose,  he  slips  over  a  cloak  (chape")  hurriedly 
brought  by  his  chamberlains,  and  thus  scantily  clad,  has  himself 
carried  into  a  room  facing  the  sea.  The  poet  here  remarks : 

1  v.  20857. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  71 

Je  vos  di  issi  com  je  pans 
Que  on  poroit  d'iluec  aler 
Por  une  posterne  a  la  mer. 

From  a  window  of  the  room,  Arthur  watches  the  storm.  When 
it  has  somewhat  abated,  he  discerns  a  light  over  the  sea,  which 
seems  to  be  a  star.  Seeing  that  the  light  approaches,  he  calls  his 
chamberlains,  and  they  all  wonder  what  it  can  be.  Presently, 
however,  they  are  able  to  make  out  a  beautiful  skiff  drawn  by 
a  swan.  Arthur  is  not  a  little  concerned  over  this  unusual  sight. 
When  the  boat  reaches  the  foot  of  the  castle  (sor  les  estres),  the 
swan  shrieks  and  flaps  its  wings.  Arthur  immediately  has  the 
postern  opened  and  steps  into  the  boat. 

Ens  est  entres,  adonques  voit 
As  .11.  cies  .11.  cierges  ardans 
Ains  mais  n'avoit  veu  si  grans. 

In  the  middle  of  the  boat  there  is 

.  .  .  .  un  cier  pale  roe" 
Tant  a  fin  or  fait  et  onore". 

On  this  was  lying  a  knight,  grans  et  membrus,  who  was  pierced 
through  the  body.  Never  had  the  King  beheld  a  knight  so  fair 
in  death.  A  letter  is  found  with  the  body  giving  instructions  as 
to  what  is  to  be  done  with  it. 

Accordingly,  the  King  has  the  knight  carried  into  the  hall  and 
the  next  morning  Gawain  and  the  other  knights  of  Arthur's  court 
find  him  there,  much  to  their  surprise.  Arthur  feigns  ignorance 
as  to  the  knight's  origin,  ainsi  qu'il  n'en  seust  noient,  having 
previously  imposed  silence  upon  bis  chamberlains.  The  swan,  of 
course,  had  gone  away  with  the  boat  the  night  before — 

Le  cisne  crie  et  braiot  et  fe"ri 
Forment  les  elles  en  la  mer, 
Et  si  conmencha  a  tourner 
Son  calant  moult  isnelement, 
A  une  caine  d'argent ; 
.1.  aniel  d'or  el  col  avoit 
Qui  a  la  caine  tenoit ; 
Li  cierge  estaignent  lor  clarle 
Et  tout  tourna  en  obscurte. 
Si  demenoit  por  son  signor 
Li  cisnes  si  tres  grant  dolor. 


72  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

The  event  in  Perlesvaus,1  which  may  be  compared  to  this,  is  as 
follows  : 

One  night  Arthur  awakes  in  the  middle  of  his  "  first  slumber  " 
and  is  unable  to  sleep  again.  So  he  arises,  and  throwing  over  a 
chape  grise,  passes  into  the  main-hall  of  the  castle,  which  faces  the 
sea.  From  the  window  he  sees  that  the  sea  is  unusually  calm, 
"  without  a  trace  of  a  storm."  Pleased  with  the  sight,  he  remains 
at  the  window  to  gaze. 

Very  soon  he  sees  far  in  the  distance  the  gleam  of  a  candle,  as 
it  were.  Wondering  what  this  may  be,  he  is  amazed  to  see  a  ship 
appear,  which  in  spite  of  the  calm  rapidly  approaches  the  castle. 
At  first  there  seems  to  be  no  one  aboard  save  an  old  man  at  the 
helm.  On  the  arrival  of  the  ship  at  the  castle,  Arthur  has  trouble 
in  reaching  it  on  account  of  the  flot  de  la  mer.  This  difficulty, 
however,  is  overcome  by  the  help  of  the  steersman,  who  lowers  a 
small  boat  which  takes  him  alongside.  Upon  the  ship,  Arthur  now 
finds  a  knight  in  full  armor,  lying  on  an  ivory  table.  The 
knight's  head  rests  on  his  shield,  and  il  avoit  a  son  chevez  deus 
gram  teurtiz  de  chandeles  en  chandeliers  d'or  et  a  ces  piez  autresint. 
His  hands  are  crossed  on  his  breast.  Arthur  thinks  he  has  never 
before  seen  so  fair  a  knight. 

The  context  shows  that  the  knight  is  Perceval.  By  and  by,  he 
arises  and  goes  into  the  palace,  where  he  takes  possession  of  the 
hound  and  shield  left  there  for  him  by  the  Damsels  of  the  Cart. 
But  he  cannot  be  induced  to  stay;  returning  with  these  to  the 
ship,  he  quickly  sails  away,  in  the  same  mysterious  way  he  came. 
The  following  morning  the  knights  of  the  Court  hear  of  his  visit 
and  regret  having  missed  him. 

In  the  case  of  both  stories,  it  is  noticeable  at  a  glance  that  the 
Perlesvaus  agrees  with  the  poem  of  Pseudo-Gautier  only  up  to  a 
certain  point.  In  the  first  instance,  the  agreement  stops  with  the 
arrival  at  the  tent ;  in  the  second,  with  the  removal  of  the  knight 
to  the  hall.  Both  stories  may  be  roughly  divided  into  two  parts : 
(a)  an  introduction,  in  which  a  special  trait  of  a  knight  is  brought 
out,  (6)  an  episode  composed  of  incidents  springing  more  or  less 
from  this  trait.  The  two  works  agree  on  (a),  while  they  differ  as 

1  p.  142. 


A  Study  of  the  Perksvaus.  73 

to  (6).  Thus  the  presumption  is  that  our  romance  is  not  based 
here  on  a  different  source  from  the  work  of  Pseudo-Gautier,  since 
the  agreement  is  not  between  complete  episodes,  which  may  have 
existed  in  other  forms,  but  between  special  incidents  employed  in 
a  similar  way.  The  resemblance  consists  as  much  in  the  mode  of 
composition  as  in  the  kind  of  material  used. 

To  my  mind,  therefore,  the  passage  in  Perlesvaus  relating  to 
Perceval's  eagerness  in  arms  was  undoubtedly  modelled  upon  the 
account  of  Pseudo-Gautier.  As  to  the  other  story,  the  resemblance 
here  is  less  marked  because  the  Pseudo-Gautier  version  is  evidently 
colored  with  the  Chevalier  au  cygne  legend.  The  arrival  of  a 
knight  in  a  mysterious  ship  from  some  unknown  shore  is  a  common 
incident  in  Arthurian  literature.  But  the  account  in  Perlesvaus  is, 
so  far  as  I  know,  the  only  version,  which  is  as  complete  as  that 
of  Pseudo-Gautier,1  or  which  agrees  with  it  in  most  details.2 

6.  GAUTIER. 

In  considering  the  Grail  episode  we  already  had  a  proof  of  our 
author's  familiarity  with  Gautier's  portion  of  the  Perceval.3  Our 
inference  then  was  drawn  from  the  fact  that,  barring  a  few  varia- 
tions of  detail,  the  two  writers  give  identical  accounts  of  the  Chess- 
board story.  This  story,  including  the  incidents  based  on  it,  occu- 
pies the  greater  part  of  Gautier's  work.  Its  influence  on  our 
romance  may  be  seen  in  one  or  two  additional  points. 

1  There  is,  it  is  true,  a  version  resembling  in  outline  that  of  Pseudo-Gautier  in 
the  Vengeance  de  Raguidd  (ed.  Hippeau,  Paris,  1862,  vv.  82-174).     A  comparison 
of  the  two,  however,  will  show  that  they  differ  on  several  important  points  on 
which  our  romance  and  the  work  of  Pseudo-Gautier  agree. 
•  JThe  following  minor  agreements  may  be  noted  : 

At  Castel  Orguellous  (Perceval,  v.  18680  ff.)  nothing  is  done  from  Saturday 
until  Monday  prime. 

U  face  biel,  u  face  lait 
La  mere  Dieu  est  honeree 
Ens  el  castiel  et  celebree 

So,  too,  in  Perlesvaus,  no  one  may  enter  the  Grail  Chapel  (ja  home  ne  prouvoire) — 
where  services  are  held  in  honor  of  the  Virgin — from  Saturday  noon  until  Mon- 
day after  early  mass,  on  account  of  the  relics  that  are  kept  there  (pp.  89,  176). 

The  continuation  of  Pseudo-Gautier  is  really  a  glorification  of  the  character  of 
Gawain  ;  cf.  our  author's  characterization  of  him  (pp.  153,  241). 

3vv.  21917-34934. 


74  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

For  the  stag-hunt,  which  Perceval  undertakes  in  behalf  of  the 
Damsel  of  the  Chessboard,  he  is  given  a  valuable  hound.  After 
overtaking  the  stag  and  cutting  off  its  head,  he  is  robbed  of  the 
hound  by  a  "  maid  of  ill-chance."  He  succeeds  in  getting  it  back, 
but  only  to  have  both  it  and  the  stag's  head  stolen  by  a  knight  who 
is  riding  by.  Finally,  Perceval  recovers  the  head  and  the  hound, 
and  they  are  delivered  to  the  damsel,  though  not  without  considerable 
trouble.  In  Perlesvaus ,l  one  of  the  things  by  which  Perceval  could 
be  recognized  was  a  white  stag  painted  on  his  shield.  Perceval  keeps 
this  shield  until  he  comes  to  Arthur's  court  and  obtains  there  the 
one  he  is  to  carry  on  his  Grail  quest.  On  that  occasion,  it  will  be 
remembered,  he  also  obtains  a  hound  which  had  been  brought 
thither  for  him.2  The  opinion  of  Birch-Hirschfeld,  that  these 
features  were  derived  from  the  work  of  Gautier,  may  thus  be 
upheld. 

There  is  another  link  between  the  two  works  in  the  main  Grail 
narrative.  On  his  way  back  to  the  Chessboard  Castle,  Perceval — 
according  to  Gautier — meets  in  a  forest  a  remarkably  beautiful 
damsel,  who  is  pursuing  a  runaway  mule.  He  soon  catches  the 
mule  for  her  and  aids  her  to  mount  on  its  back.  Then  he  rides 
along  with  her,  though  evidently  against  her  wish.  While  he 
wonders  what  her  objection  to  him  can  be,  his  attention  is  attracted 
by  a  great  light  in  the  forest ;  turning  to  question  his  companion 
about  it,  he  finds  that  she  has  disappeared.  Thereupon  it  sud- 
denly grows  dark  and  a  violent  storm  breaks  loose. 

»p.  21. 

2  Of.  in  the  following  passages  the  joy  of  the  hound  at  the  sight  of  its  master : 

Quant  li  brakes  parler  1'oi 

Del  lit  saut  sus  encontre  li, 

Si  saut  et  trep  et  cler  glati ; 

Cel  moult  biel  le  conjoi 

Et  aplanoie  de  la  main.     (Gautier,  v.  30029  ff.) 

Tantost  conme  il  oi  la  damoisele  (the  sister  of  his  master,  Perceval),  il  vint  a  lui  et 
li  fet  la  greiynor  joie  que  Can  veist  onques  feire  a  bracket.  La  reine  et  ces  puceles  s'en 
merueillent  mout  et  la  damoisele  meismes  a  qui  li  brachez  feisoit  joie,  car,  onques  puts 
qu'tt  u  en  la  sale  aportez,  ne  lui  virent  conjoir  nuttui.  (Perlesv.,  p.  141). 

it  bracket,  qui  en  la  sale  estoit,  oi  le  chevalier,  il  vient  vert  lui  le  le  cours  et  li  saust 
entre  les  janbes,  »i  li  fet  mout  grant  joie.  Et  li  chevaliers  le  conjoil  (p.  143). 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  75 

Et  une  pluie  a  amende 
Si  grant  et  si  desmesure'e 
Que  c'ert  vis  que  trestout  fondiat 
Et  la  grans  fories  ca'ist.1 

The  storm  grows  so  in  fury  that  Perceval  has  to  cover  his  head 
with  his  shield,  and  take  shelter  under  a  tree  until  it  is  over. 

The  next  day  he  meets  the  damsel  again  and  learns  from  her  that 
the  light  came  from  the  Grail ;  she,  however,  had  seen  no  storm  : 

"  Nenil,  fait  ele,  sire,  voir : 
Ains  ne  me  poc  apierchevoir 
Que  pleuve  caist  ne  tormente : 
Ains  estoit  la  nuis  bele  et  gente 
Et  coie  et  sans  vent  et  sieVie, 
Et  de  la  clarte  que  veistes, 
Ne  sai  s'onques  parler  oistes 
Del  rice  roi  ki  est  pesciere, 
Si  pres  maint  outre  une  riviere ; 
Si  vint  anuit  en  la  foriest."  2 

The  Perlesvaus  mentions  a  similar  storm  which  is  also  felt  only 
by  the  Grail-seeker.3  Gawain  is  caught  in  it  just  after  he  has  left 
the  Grail  Castle,  while  still  in  the  neighboring  forest.  Here  the 
storm  seems  to  be  the  merited  punishment  for  his  reticence  while 
in  the  presence  of  the  Grail.  At  least,  a  squire  tells  him  :  "  vos  I' 
avez  deservi"  though  the  same  squire  adds  :  "  car  itele  est  la  coutume 
de  la  forest."  The  main  points  of  the  Perlesvaus  version  are : 
Gawain  rides  into  the  forest ;  so  great  a  storm  comes  on  that  he 
believes  the  trees  will  be  uprooted.  The  rain  pours  down  in 
torrents.  He  has  to  cover  his  horse  with  his  shield  to  keep  it 
from  drowning.  In  this  sad  plight  he  rides  on  till  he  reaches  a 
stream.  Beyond  the  stream,  a  knight  and  a  damsel  are  riding  in 
great  comfort  through  a  meadow.  Above  them  the  sky  is  clear 
and  the  sun  is  shining  brightly.  Gawain  is  amazed  that  it  rains 
so  hard  on  him  whilst  the  knight  and  his  lady  have  fair  weather. 

Turning  again  to  Gautier,  we  notice  that  before  Perceval  and 
the  damsel  part,  she  lends  him  her  mule  which  will  conduct  him 
in  safety  wherever  he  may  wish  to  go,  provided  he  wears  on  his 
finger  a  ring  that  she  has  given  him.  In  fact : 

"  Et  del  pout  de  voirre  passer 
Ne  vos  estuet  estre  en  paour." 

Jv.  27925.  2v.  28056  ff.  3p.  92. 


76  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Our  author  attributes  similar  qualities  to  the  mule  of  Joseph  of 
Arimathea.  Before  Perceval  makes  his  final  assault  on  the  Grail 
Castle — over  the  nine  bridges — the  hermit  to  whom  he  confesses 
gives  him  Joseph's  mule  with  the  words :  Vos  I'amenroiz  avec  vos, 
die  vos  suivra  mout  volentiers,  et  si  porterez  un  /anon  (of.  the  ring  in 
Gautier).  .  .  .  quant  vos  seroiz  grevez  de  vostre  chevalerie,  montez 
desor  la  mule  et  prenez  le  fanon,  si  perdront  vostre  anemi  ausques 
de  lor  force. 

The  above  descriptions  of  the  storm  agree  in  too  marked  a  way x 
not  to  be  in  some  way  related.  At  first  glance,  owing  to  the 
briefer  form  of  the  Perlesvaus  account,  one  would  suppose  that 
they  were  derived  from  a  common  source.  The  fact,  however, 
that  our  romance  shows  traces  of  borrowing  from  Gautier  in  other 
places,  makes  it  possible  to  assume  that  our  author  took  the  inci- 
dent directly  from  Gautier's  work.  But  as  concerns  the  mule  and 
the  ring,  I  do  not  think  that  any  importance  can  be  attached  to  the 
occurrence  of  like  features  in  Perlesvaus.2  A  white  mule  is  found 
also  in  La  Mule  sans  frein,  which  will  bring  its  rider  in  safety  to 
a  place  where  there  is  a  magic  bridle ;  so  that  this  notion  of  safe- 
conduct  by  a  faithful  animal,  notably  a  mule,  may  have  been 
common. 

The  portrayal  of  Perceval's  visit  to  his  old  home 3  seems  to  be 
the  last  noteworthy  point  in  which  our  author  followed  Gautier. 
A  discussion  of  this  incident  is  scarcely  necessary  as  the  borrowing 
is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  gives  us  the  same  situation  as 
Gautier,  while  no  other  form  of  the  incident  is  known  which  he 
could  have  used. 

Gautier 4  begins  the  story  with  Perceval's  arrival  in  the  Waste 
Forest,  u  mainte  fois  este  avoit.  But  it  is  so  long  ago  since  he  was 
there  that  he  barely  recognizes  the  place.  By  and  by,  he  thinks 
he  must  be  nearing  the  manoir  of  his  mother.  He  passes  the  tree 
where  he  met  the  knight : 

.  .  .  .  "  ki  m'ensegna 
Le  roi  Artu  qui  me  douna 
Les  armes  taintes  en  vermel." 

1  Gautier  and  our  author  apparently  stand  apart  from  the  other  romancers 
in  describing  a  storm  which  only  the  Grail-seeker  undergoes. 
1  Cf.  above,  p.  32,  for  the  probable  origin  of  Joseph's  mule. 
3  p.  171.  *v.  25760. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  77 

On  he  goes,  becoming  more  and  more  anxious  about  his  mother : 

De  sa  mere  pities  le  prent, 
Car  bien  li  venoit  de  nature. 

At  last  he  reaches  the  memoir,  is  hospitably  received  and 

Une  moult  tres  cointe  puciele, 
Blance  com  flours  en  may  novele, 

comes  to  greet  him ;  it  is  his  sister.     Perceval  knows  for  sooth  : 

....  que  c'est  sa  suer  ; 

Mais  ne  vot  descovrir  son  cuer, 

Car  il  voloit  ancois  atendre. 

A  demander  et  a  aprendre 

Combien  a  que  morte  est  sa  mere,  etc. 

But  the  damsel,  whom  he  reminds  of  her  brother,  begins  to  weep. 
Thereupon  Perceval  weakens,  and  confesses  that  in  fact  he  is  her 
brother. 

In  Perlesvaus1  we  read  that  Perceval  has  just  left  a  hermit's  cell 
and  is  riding  alone  through  a  forest,  when  suddenly  he  feels  his 
heart  stirred  with  an  irresistible  desire  to  see  his  mother.  In  a 
few  moments,  he  comes  upon  a  damsel,  kneeling  under  a  tree,  who 
prays  aloud  for  assistance.  She  begs  that  Perceval  may  come 
soon  to  rescue  her  mother  from  the  Sires  des  Mores.  Seeing  the 
knight,  she  implores  his  aid  without  knowing  who  he  is. 

He,  however,  set  bien  qu*  ele  est  sa  soeur,  mes  il  ne  veust  encore 
descouvrir  ne  demonstrer  la  pitie  par  defors.  Nevertheless,  he 
promises  his  aid.  Leaving  her,  he  rides  to  the  end  of  the  forest, 
whence  he  sees  the  castle  of  Kamanlot  in  the  distance, — dont  il  oissi 
vallez  quant  il  odt  le  chevalier  au  vermeil  escu.  The  sight  pleases 
him  much.  His  sister  suddenly  rejoins  him,  and  they  ride  thither. 
On  the  way  Perceval  "  opens  "  a  tomb,  whereupon  he  hears  great 
rejoicing  at  the  castle  where  they  know  that  this  feat  can  only  be 
accomplished  by  Perceval  himself.2 

1 P.  171. 

2  As  a  minor  agreement,  compare  the  frequent  allusions  in  both  works  to  the 
fact  that  Perceval  is  li  miudres  chevaliers.  Perlesvaus,  pp.  21,  43,  131,  142,  171, 
179,  208,  etc.  Gautier:  v.  24341  (at  the  amorous  ford),  Pot.  iv,  p.  295  (the 
bridge  of  glass),  v.  29471  (the  tournament  held  by  Arthur),  Pot.  iv,  p.  318  (the 
Knight  of  the  Tomb  says  so),  v.  34040  (ibid.,  the  Damsel  of  Mont  Dolourous), 
Pot.  v,  p.  149  (the  Fisher  King  says  God  made  him  so).. 


78  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 


c.  MANESSIEE. 

Thus  far  the  results  of  our  study  have  been  comparatively  simple 
and  definite.  Though  the  body  of  the  romance  is  made  up  of 
materials  drawn  from  various  and  often  unrelated  sources,  the 
central  theme  and  many  accessory  episodes  are  clearly  traceable  to 
the  Perceval  and  its  first  two  Continuations.  The  relationship  of 
the  work  to  the  remaining  Continuations  is  more  difficult  to 
determine.  The  agreements  here  are  inconclusive  as  a  class ;  and 
the  fact  that  they  are  not  connected  with  the  main  Grail  story 
increases  the  probability  that  they  were  derived  from  a  common 
source. 

Birch-Hirschfeld  maintains  that  our  author's  relations  to  Man- 
essier,  the  first  of  the  later  continuators,  are  apparent  from  "  certain 
borrowings."  But  the  only  instance  of  borrowing  he  gives  is  the 
tale  of  the  Craven  Knight.  He  observes  that  the  incident  of  the 
latter's  death  is  not  related  by  Manessier,  and  adds  that  the  story 
being  thus  amplified  in  our  romance  proves  that  our  author  did 
not  invent  it.  As  the  German  scholar  adduces  no  further  evidence 
in  support  of  his  view,  its  ultimate  acceptance  or  rejection  seems 
to  hinge  on  the  derivation  of  the  Craven  Knight  tale.  Before 
entering  upon  a  discussion  of  this  story,  it  will  thus  be  advisable 
to  re-examine  Manessier's  poem  in  order  to  make  sure  that  it  con- 
tains no  further  agreements  with  our  work  which  the  previous 
commentators  may  have  overlooked. 

At  first  glance,  the  name  Camaalot,  as  the  location  of  Arthur's 
court,  suggests  a  connection  between  the  two  works  as  the  name 
occurs  also  in  the  Perlesvaus.  To  be  sure,  our  author  thus  desig- 
nates Perceval's  former  home  in  the  isle  of  Wales,  but  he  clearly 
distinguishes  this  place  from  the  Camaalot  *  in  Logres  (England), 
where  he  says  the  "  tellers  of  tales  "  place  Arthur's  court.  In  the 
Perlesvaus  the  court  is  usually  held  at  Carduel  or  Pannenoiseuse, 
while  Manessier 2  regularly  locates  it  at  Camaalot. 

1  p.  251 ;  our  author  spells  the  name,  Kamaalot. 
*  vv.  35635,  42543. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  79 

The  name  does  not  occur  in  any  portion  of  the  Perceval  which 
we  have  thus  far  discussed.  We  do,  however,  find  it  in  the  Qu&te 
as  the  accepted  location  of  the  Round  Table.  It  may  therefore  be 
supposed  that  Manessier  derived  it  thence  since  his  use  of  the 
Queie  is  admitted.1  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  hold  that  Manessier 
transmitted  the  name  to  our  author,  who  generally  places  the  court 
elsewhere.  Exactly  how  our  author  became  acquainted  with  the 
name  in  its  Arthurian  sense  is  impossible  to  say.  The  .Quete 
and  Grand  St.  Graal,  presumably  being  unknown  to  him,  could 
hardly  have  suggested  it.2  A  much  more  plausible  view  is  to 
refer  his  knowledge  of  it  to  Crestien's  Lancelot,3  or  to  some  similar 
work,  not  of  necessity  connected  with  the  Grail  legend. 

Again,  we  notice  a  certain  kinship  between  the  experience 
Perceval  passes  through  at  the  Chapel  haunted  by  the  Black  Hand 
and  the  visit  his  sister  pays  in  Perlesvaus  to  the  Dangerous 
Cemetery.4  A  perusal,  however,  of  the  two  stories  will  show  that, 
although  they  agree  on  several  features,  their  general  divergence  is 
too  great  to  permit  of  their  being  in  any  sense  identified.  More- 
over, as  Heinzel  has  stated,  a  closer  parallel  to  the  Dangerous 
Cemetery  story  is  to  be  found  in  the  Chevalier  as  deus  espees.6  But 
it  should  be  observed  that  all  of  the  stories  here  mentioned,  as  well 
as  the  adventure6  of  Arthur's  squire  in  the  first  section  of  our 
romance,  are  variations  of  the  same  type  of  episode,  and  are  per- 
haps descended  from  a  common  original. 

Further  than  those  stated,  the  Continuation  of  Manessier  has  no 
points  of  resemblance  with  our  work  which  cannot  be  ascribed  to  , 
the  fact  that  the  two  authors  treat  the  same  theme  and  have,  in 
part  at  least,  the  same  literary  antecedents.7     We  can  now  pass  on, 

1  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cil.,  pp.  73  and  186. 

2  Cf.  Sommer :  Malory's  Morte  d' Arthur,  London,  1890,  vol.  II,  p.  157  and  Rhys : 
Studies  in  the  Arthurian  Legend,  Oxford,  1891,  pp.  15  and  50. 

3  v.  34. 

4Cf.  vv.  39816,  39866,  39970  (Manessier),  34434,  ff,  35434  (Gautier). 

6  Cf.  above,  p.  32. 

8 This  story  is  quoted  in  L'histoire  de  Foulkes  Fitz-Warin  (ed.  F.  Michel,  Paris, 
1840;  p.  110)  of  the  latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  century, — a  valuable  com- 
mentary on  the  popularity  of  our  romance. 

7Cre»tien,  Pseudo-Gautier  and  Gautier;  cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.,  p.  186. 


80  A  Study  of  the  Perlesyaus. 

without  further  delay,  to  a  consideration  of  the  Craven  Knight 
episode,  an  analysis  of  which,  according  to  Manessier  and  our 
author  respectively,  is  as  follows  : 

Manessier1:  One  day,  while  riding  along,  Perceval  meets  a 
strange  knight  going  at  great  speed.  The  latter — so  says  the 
poet — is  either  overburdened  with  sorrow  or  out  of  his  wits.  His 
hauberk,  his  shield  and  his  helmet  are  dangling  from  his  neck 
against  the  crupper  of  his  horse,  and  his  lance  is  fastened  lengthwise 
to  its  side.  Perceval,  of  course,  is  much  surprised  at  the  strange 
appearance  the  knight  presents. 

The  stranger,  however,  is  extremely  courteous  and  very  good- 
looking. 

Et  fu  li  plus  biaus  chevaliers 

C'on  trouvast  en  .XXX.  millers; 

Onques  si  biaus,  a  son  avis, 

Ne  vit  de  cors  ne  de  vis : 

He  is  large  and  powerful  but  more  timid  than  a  hare.  The  reason 
he  rides  thus,  he  tells  Perceval,  is  that  he  will  fight  with  no  one : 

....  car  il  n'a  cure 
Que  nus  li  face  ja  laidure ; 
N'a  que  faire  de  soi  combattre 
Ne  ke  nus  del  cheval  1'abate ; 
"  Mious  voel  en  pais  parmi  la  terre 
Aler  por  mes  affaires  querre 
Que  moi  faire  batre  et  ferir, 
Que  biens  ne  ni'en  poroit  venir ; 
Et  k'aroie  jou  gaengie 
Se  on  m'avoit  a  rnort  plaie 
U  navre  por  gesir  au  lit  ?  " 

Perceval  replies  that  he  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  such  conduct,  and 
speedily  induces  him  to  adjust  his  armor.  But  the  knight  insists 
that  he  will  not  use  his  arms. 

"  En  pais  voel  ma  vie  aciever 
Et  tote  folie  eskiver." 

They  ride  along,  however,  together,  and  before  long  hear  cries  of 
1  vv.  42125-42519,  43719-44057. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  81 

distress  in  the  distance.  Going  in  the  direction  whence  the  cries 
proceed,  they  come  upon  two  damsels  about  to  be  burned  at  the 
stake  by  a  band  of  (ten)  robber-knights.  True  to  his  word,  the 
strange  knight  refused  to  lift  a  hand  in  behalf  of  the  damsels, 
while  Perceval  naturally  hastens  to  their  rescue. 

Meantime — while  Perceval  is  fighting,  his  companion  looks  on 
trembling.  When  attacked  by  any  of  the  robbers,  he  claims  to 
have  no  part  in  the  affair.  This  plea  the  former  ignore,  and  deal 
him  blow  after  blow  until  he  is  wounded.  Thereupon  he  suddenly 
grows  angry,  and  turning  on  his  assailants,  he  stretches  several  of 
them  dead  on  the  ground.  Finally,  with  his  help  Perceval  suc- 
ceeds in  subduing  the  whole  band.  Together  they  then  accompany 
the  damsels  back  to  their  home. 

Perceval  and  his  unknown  companion  appear  again  at  the 
tournament  which  King  Baudemagus  is  holding  with  the  "  King 
of  the  Hundred  Knights."  There  the  strange  knight  and  Perceval 
enter  the  lists  against  the  knights  of  the  Round  Table,  and  are 
very  successful.  Perceval  fights  Gahariet  and  the  strange  knight, 
Mordret. 

After  the  tournament  the  strange  knight  is  pleased  with  the 
good  blows  he  has  dealt : 

Ains  mais  n'en  fist  tout  en  sa  vie ; 
Or  li  prent  talens  et  envie 
De  si  bien  faire  ke  nului 
Ne  puisse  mes  dire  de  lui 
Chose  ki  tourt  a  vilonie ; 
Toute  couardie  renie. 

Now  Perceval  parts  company  with  the  stranger,  but  beforehand  he 
asks  him  his  name ;  the  knight  answers  : 

"  Li  Biaus  Mauvais  m'apele-on ; 
Icestui  nom  me  fu  donnes 
Le  jour  ke  je  fu  adoubes." 

Perceval  says  rather  ought  he  to  be  called  li  Biaus  Hardi ; — 

"  Car  biaus,  sages  et  hardis  estes 
Et  chevaliers  preus  et  honestes, 
Si  1'ai  moult  bien  apierceu 
A  ceste  assemblee  et  veu." 


82  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Perceval,  in  turn  has  revealed  his  name,  and  li  Biaus  Hardi  is 
very  sorry  to  leave  him  ; 

Car,  se  il  fust  a  son  talent, 
Ja  ma  is  a  mil  jour  de  sa  vie 
Ne  partist  de  sa  compagnie. 

Later  on,1  relating  his  adventures  to  King  Arthur,  Perceval 
mentions  the  strange  knight's  name  as  Chevalier  Hardi.2 

Perlesvaus3:  Gawain  is  passing  through  the  forest  adjoining  the 
castle  of  Marin  the  Jealous,4  when  he  suddenly  sees  before  him  a 
knight  riding  in  a  very  curious  fashion :  a  recullons  an  mout 
sauvage  meniere  ce  devant  derriere,  et  avoit  les  reignes  de  son  chevel 
ires  parmi  son  piz.  His  shield  and  sword  are  upside  down ;  his 
hauberk  and  choses  defer  are  tied  to  his  neck. 

The  knight,  as  soon  as  he  perceives  Gawain,  begs  not  to  be 
harmed,  and  says  that  he  is  the  Craven  Knight,  the  vassal  of  the 
Damsel  of  the  Cart.5  Recognizing  Gawain,  he  proceeds  to  re- 
adjust his  armor  on  the  spot. 

While  they  are  talking,  a  stranger  rides  up  and  suddenly  attacks 
Gawain.  In  the  combat,  which  follows,  the  .Craven  Knight  has  a 
chance  of  witnessing  Gawain's  prowess.  This  leads  him  to  remark 
afterward  that  he  would  have  fled,  if  he  had  been  in  Gawain's 
place,  for  he  prizes  peace  above  all  things  :  "  car  il  ne  vient  de  gerre 
semalnon;  nejen'oi  onques  plaiene  bleoeure  ....  etje  voi  vostre 
viaire  tot  depfaie  et  navre  an  plusors  leus.y>  He  gives  Gawain  some 
further  news  of  the  Damsels  of  the  Cart,  whereupon  the  two 
separate. 

We  read  of  him  again  further  on  in  the  Perlesvaus.6  This  time 
in  connection  with  Perceval.  The  Grail  hero  meets  him  in  a 
forest,  where  he  appears  grant  et  bel  et  bien  forni  et  adroit  et  tout 

^.45149. 

2  This  name,  however,  is  not  given  him,  as  Birch-Hirschfeld  claims  (cf.  above, 
p.  24 ;  Sage  vrnn  Oral,  p.  139),  in  v.  43300. 

3  pp.  52  ff.,  189  and  301. 
*  Ibid.,  pp.  48-52. 

5  Cf.  above,  p.  62 ;  the  knight's  cowardice  is  connected  here  with  the  failure  of 
the  Grail  quest. 

6  p.  189 ;  cf.  also  p.  148,  where  a  second  meeting  with  Gawain  is  related,  but 
this  passage  has  no  importance. 


^i  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  83 

arme  sor  son  cheval,  though  he  frankly  confesses  his  cowardice  and 
his  fear  of  being  slain.  Perceval  replies  that  he  shall  be  made 
courageous  :  cest  grant  doumache  que  couardie  est  herbergiee  en  si 
biau  chevalier.  But  the  knight  objects  to  having  either  his  courage 
or  his  name  changed ;  he  even  tells  Perceval :  vos  me  volez  ocirre. 

They  have  not  proceeded  far  together,  when  they  hear  cries  of 
distress  in  a  distant  part  of  the  forest.  Perceval  makes  the  knight 
go  thither  with  him,  though  the  latter  protests.  They  find  there 
a  powerful  knight  unmercifully  beating  two  forlorn  damsels,  in 
whom  they  recognize  the  sisters  of  Gawain's  friend,  the  Poor 
Knight.  Instead  of  braving  the  oppressor  in  person,  Perceval 
forces  his  companion  to  oppose  him.  Unable  to  escape,  the  Craven 
Knight  at  first  sustains  blow  upon  blow  unmoved.  Finally,  how- 
ever, inflamed  at  the  sight  of  his  own  blood,  he  strikes  his  assailant 
such  a  stroke  that  the  latter  rolls  on  the  ground.  The  Craven 
Knight  then  cuts  off  his  head,  and  presents  it  to  Perceval. 

Now  he  realizes  the  folly  of  his  former  cowardice,  and  gladly 
accepts  from  Perceval  the  name  Chevaliers  Hardiz.  In  proof  of 
his  courage,  he  leaves  Perceval  in  order  to  escort  the  damsels  back 
to  their  home. 

A  final  reference  to  him  occurs  toward  the  close  of  the  romance  * : 

The  merciless  Aristot  is  attempting  to  carry  off  Perceval's  sister, 
and  the  ( Bold  Knight '  is  defending  her.  Aristot  is  the  embodi- 
ment of  cruelty  and  tries  to  kill  all  knights  that  come  his  way. 
Happily,  Perceval  arrives  in  time  to  rescue  his  sister,  but  her  brave 
defender  is  seriously  hurt.  He  dies  soon  after  in  a  hermit's  cell, 
whither  Perceval  has  carried  him,  consoled  by  the  fact  that  he 
had  seen  Perceval  again. 

The  last  incident,  the  knight's  death  at  the  hands  of  Perceval's 
great  enemy,  is  of  course  the  main  point  upon  which  the  romances 
differ.  And  yet  one  must  admit  that  this  conclusion  in  Perlesvaus 
is  somewhat  more  than  a  mere  addition.  In  a  measure  our  author 
lets  us  expect  it  from  the  start,  again  and  again  the  Craven  Knight 
expresses  his  fear  of  being  killed.  On  the  other  hand,  Manessier 
gives  but  one  reference  to  such  a  possibility,  v.  42161  ff. : 

1  p.  301. 


84  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

.  .  .  .  "  k'aroie  jou  gaengie 
Se  on  m'avoit  a  mort  plaie 
U  navre  por  gesir  au  lit," 

and  the  context  shows  that  no  emphasis  can  be  put  on  the  reference. 
The  above  difference,  however,  dwindles  in  importance  when  we 
consider  that  the  versions  agree  on  the  change  wrought  in  the 
character  of  the  knight,  which  is  after  all  the  dominant  feature  of 
the  episode. 

The  question  arises — what  is  the  nature  of  the  story  itself?  Do 
the  poets  intend  to  record  an  actual  experience  of  Gawain  and 
Perceval?  This  is  hardly  possible.  Upon  reading  the  adventure, 
one  is  at  once  struck  by  the  fact  that  the  chief  actors  in  it  are  pre- 
eminently types  of  knighthood.  It  matters  little  whether  the 
knight  is  corrected  of  his  cowardly  ways  by  Gawain  or  by  Perceval 
as  long  as  both  are  distinguished  for  valor  and  hence  worthy  to  be 
imitated.  The  incidents  of  the  story  are  likewise  arbitrary  and 
made  to  illustrate  a  special  idea.  Obviously  the  story  has  a  didactic 
purpose.  We  cannot  go  far  wrong  in  calling  it  a  knightly  fable, 
if  the  term  be  admissable. 

Regarded  in  this  light,  it  is  possible  to  assume  that  the  versions 
have  different  morals.  According  to  Manessier,  the  Craven  Knight's 
main  characteristic  beside  his  cowardice  in  his  beauty.  Apparently, 
he  does  not  fear  death  half  as  much  as  the  loss  of  his  good  looks  : 

E  fu  li  plus  biaus  chevaliers 
C^on  trouvast  en  .xxx.  millers ; 

.         .    car  il  n'a  cur 
Que  nus  li  face  ja  laidure. 

It  is  this  fear  of  being  scarred  and  disfigured  which  keeps  him 
from  becoming  a  valiant  knight.  Consequently,  the  story-teller'a 
object  may  be  considered  fulfilled  when  he  had  represented  the 
knight  as  disdainful  of  his  looks  in  the  face  of  imminent  combat. 
Chivalry  is  a  stern  mistress,  who  claims  of  the  true  knight  the 
sacrifice  of  every  selfish  thought.  Above  we  saw  Gawain  yield  his 
pride  * ;  here  a  knight  must  give  up  his  beauty. 

Such  is  without  doubt  the  fundamental  idea  of  the  Manessier 
version,  though  Manessier  would  have  added  much  to  the  force  of 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  85 

the  tale  by  representing  the  knight  at  the  end  as  really  disfigured. 
We  must  suppose  either  that  this  idea  was  not  grasped  by  our 
author,  who  confused  also  the  details  of  Manessier's  version,  or  that 
he  was  not  acquainted  with  Manessier's  work  and  derived  the 
story,  and  possibly  the  moral  as  he  gives  it,  from  some  other  source. 
As  I  intimated  above,  our  author  indicates  that  he  conceived  of  the 
knight's  cowardice  as  having  its  roots  primarily  in  a  fear  of  death. 
At  any  rate,  the  Coward's  actions  when  he  meets  Perceval,  and 
ever  afterward  until  he  is  made  brave,  seem  to  be  ruled  by  this 
motive.  The  fearless  way  in  which  he  lays  down  his  life  for  his 
friend  is  therefore  noteworthy.  Nevertheless,  his  first  appearance 
on  the  scene,  in  Gawain's  company,  places  him  in  much  the  same 
light  as  in  Manessier.  His  hauberk  and  choses  de  fer  are  tied  to 
his  neck,  he  desires  peace  and  avoidance  of  plaie  et  bleceure.  He 
even  remarks  (a  trait  lacking  in  Manessier)  that  Gawain's  face  is 
scarred  and  ugly  from  the  battles  he  has  waged.  But  he  adjusts 
his  armor  as  soon  as  he  sees  Gawain,  and  says  that  he  is  the 
*  Craven  Knight '  before  Gawain  has  a  chance  to  taunt  him ; 
incidents  which  are  evident  corruptions  of  the  original  story. 

The  beauty  of  the  knight  is  mentioned  only  once  in  our  romance, 
and  then  in  the  second  part  of  the  version  where  the  death  idea  is 
uppermost.  On  the  whole,  the  details  of  this  part  are  worked  out 
along  the  same  lines  as  the  Manessier  form :  Perceval  and  the 
Coward  rescue  two  damsels  from  the  clutches  of  robbers,  the 
knight  will  not  fight  until  wounded,  etc.  The  name  'Bold 
Knight,'  however,  is  given  the  Coward  directly  after  the  rescue ; 
whereas  the  change  of  name  is  not  made  in  Manessier  until  he  has 
proved  his  valor,  alone,  in  a  tournament  against  the  very  flower  of 
chivalry,  the  knights  of  the  Round  Table. 

Since  Manessier's  version  is  so  clearly  the  superior  one,  both  in 
conception  and  execution,  the  first  of  the  above  alternatives  seems 
the  more  acceptable ;  namely,  that  our  version  is  a  reproduction  of 
the  Manessier  form  of  the  story,  altered,  and  rearranged  because 
incompletely  remembered.  Against  this  conclusion,  however,  the 
following  points  may  be  urged  : 

1.  Manessier  is  evidently  not  the  originator  of  this  story.  A 
sure  sign  of  this  we  find  in  the  names  Siaus  Mauvais  and  Biaus 
Hardi,  neither  of  which  is  mentioned  until  the  knight  makes  his 


86  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

final  appearance.  From  what  we  saw  of  the  meaning  of  the 
Manessier  version,  the  name  Biaus  Mauvais  (or  better  still,  Biaus 
Couarz)  would  have  been  more  appropriate  before  the  fighting 
takes  place,  inasmuch  as  the  knight  is  then  handsome  but 
craven  ;  while  after  the  combat  in  which  he  distinguishes  himself, 
if  the  story  is  to  be  carried  out  consistently,  he  should  have  been 
called  Li  Laiz  Hardis — being  brave  but  ugly.  For,  although  the 
disfigurement  of  the  knight  is  not  recorded  by  Manessier,  it  is  an 
essential  part  of  the  original  story.  The  poet  should  have  made 
some  reference  to  the  sacrifice  of  the  knight's  beauty,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  to  point  iiis  moral.1  The  fact  that,  on  the  con- 
trary, Manessier  again  emphasizes  the  knight's  beauty,  shows  that 
his  version  is  distinctly  second-hand. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  name  Li  Laiz  Hardis,  postulated 
by  me,  actually  occurs  in  the  Erec  of  Crestien  de  Troyes.2  It  is 
also  mentioned  in  Le  Bel  Inconnu?  a  romance  of  Gawain's  son, 
although  its  occurrence  there  is  to  be  attributed  to  influence  of  the 
Erec.*  Crestien  mentions  the  name  in  the  long  list  he  gives  of  the 
knights  at  Arthur's  Court,  and  curiously  the  name  which  imme- 
diately preceeds  it  in  this  list  is  li  -Biaus  Couarz. 

Et  li  quinz  fu  li  Biaus  Coarz. 
Li  sistes  fu  li  Lez  Hardiz. 

Our  episode  shows  us  that  these  knights  were  originally  one  per- 
son. Crestien  frequently  confused  the  material  he  uses ;  we  have 
a  notable  example  of  his  blundering  in  one  of  the  chief  episodes 
in  Erec.6  The  important  thing,  however,  is  that  Crestien's  mention 
of  these  names  bears  out  our  view  that  Manessier  did  not  originate 

1  The  omission  of  the  last  incident  of  the  Perlesvaus  version  from  this  discussion 
calls  for  some  explanation.     Is  the  Coward's  death  a  part  of  this  episode  ?    If  in 
Manessier  the  knight  has  to  sacrifice  his  beauty,  should  he  not  in  our  romance 
give  up  his  life  ?    That  the  version  may  be  thus  interpreted,  can,  I  think,  be 
admitted.     But  I  do  not  believe  that  two  distinct  forms  of  the  story  existed 
originally.    Manessier,  it  seems  to  me,  represents  not  only  the  more  artistic  but 
the  more  primitive  form  of  the  story.     Thus,  I  hold  that  our  author  grafted  this 
feature  upon  his  source  merely  in  order  to  complete  the  biography  of  the  knight 
—or,  indeed,  in  order  to  enforce  the  special  moral  of  his  version. 

2  Ed.  W.  Foerster,  Halle,  1896,  v.  1691. 

3  Ed.  Hippeau,  1860,  v.  5394. 

*  Cf.  W.  H.  Schofield,  Studies  on  Libeaus  Desconiis,  Boston,  1895,  p.  106. 
8v.  5465  ff. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  87 

the  episode  but  derived  his  version  of  it  from  an  earlier  and  prob- 
ably more  perfect  form.  To  this  earlier  form  the  references  in 
Erec  are  probably  to  be  traced. 

2.  In  like  manner  we  might  say  that  the  Perlesvaus  version  is 
independently  descended  from  this  unknown  original,  though  the 
question  is  not  one  that  admits  of  direct  proof.  In  one  point  this 
version  seems  to  be  more  primitive  than  Manessier :  the  knight  at 
once  notices  the  scars  Gawain  has  in  his  face  and  remarks  on  them. 

While  the  examination  of  this  episode  thus  points  to  no  definite 
conclusion,  the  evidence  is  by  no  means  of  a  kind  to  lead  one  to 
accept  the  view  that  our  romance  is  necessarily  based  on  the  work 
of  Manessier.  This  is  the  only  episode  which  our  author  and 
Manessier  have  in  common,  and  the  indications  at  present  are  that 
they  derived  it  separately  from  the  same  source,  or  from  sources 
which  were  closely  related. 

d.  GERBEBT. 

The  means  at  our  disposal  to  determine  our  author's  literary 
relationship  to  Gerbert  are  not  much  better  than  they  were  in  the 
case  of  Manessier.  The  problem  here  is  further  complicated  by 
the  fact  that  scholars J  have  as  yet  reached  no  definite  understanding 
as  to  the  precise  connection  of  Gerbert's  work  with  the  other 
Continuations  of  Crestien's  poem. 

Nor  have  we  any  certain  knowledge  concerning  the  original 
form  of  Gerbert's  poem.  The  work  is  extant  in  but  one  MS., 
and  as  found  there,  interposed  between  two  other  works,  Gaston 
Paris2  supposes  that  its  beginning  and  end  have  suffered  abbre- 
viation. Moreover,  Potvin  did  not  publish  this  MS.  in  full  but 
only  such  parts  of  it  as  he  deemed  essential  for  an  understanding 
of  the  story ;  the  trend  of  the  remaining  parts  is  stated  in  his  own 
words.  Fortunately,  the  portion  published  contains  everything 
of  importance  for  our  purpose. 

Let  us  now  consider  briefly  the  origin  of  Gerbert's  work. 
Heinzel3  holds  that  it  shows  traces  of  the  influence  of  Crestien 

1  Cf.  the  contradictory  statements  of  Heinzel  (op.  dt.,  p.  78)  and  Gaston  Paris 
(Hist.  Litt.,  vol.  xxx,  p.  42.)     I  agree  with  Paris,  cf.  below. 
a  Cf.  Paris,  Manuel,  2nd  ed.,  1890,  p.  99. 
3Cf.  op.  eit.,  p.  186. 


88  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

and  the  other  continuators.  At  the  same  time  he  maintains  that, 
by  drawing  also  on  the  Quete,  Gerbert  flatly  contradicts  the  data 1 
of  Manessier.  The  last  observation,  however,  is  seen  to  lack  force 
when  we  consider  that  Gerbert's  use  of  Manessier's  work  may 
be  seriously  questioned.  Heinzel 2  himself  admits  certain  notable 
differences  between  the  two  Continuations.  The  points  in  which 
they  agree,  and  on  which  their  relationship  has  been  based,  are 
these: 

1.  Both  writers  describe  a  visit  to  the  Chateau  des  Puceles  ; 

2.  Perceval  breaks  his  sword  in  both  narratives  ; 

3.  In  both  Perceval  is  tempted  by  the  Devil  in  the  guise  of 
a  woman.3 

The  first  reason  Heinzel  tacitly  concedes  to  be  poor,  since  he 
remarks  in  a  foot-note4  that  Gerbert's  version  of  the  incident 
differs  (weicht  a&)  from  Manessier's,  as  well  as  from  the  versions  of 
Gautier  and  the  Quite.  But  the  second  and  third  reasons  are  also 
inadequate.  Gerbert  relates  that  Perceval  breaks  his  sword  against 
the  gate  of  Paradise ;  there  is  a  mystery  about  the  occurrence  :  the 
smith,  whom  Perceval  meets  later,  knows  how  the  sword  was 
broken  as  soon  as  he  sees  it.  But,  according  to  Manessier,  the 
sword  breaks  off  quite  naturally  in  a  conflict  with  a  band  of  ten 
knights.  Again,  Manessier's  version  of  the  temptation,  as  Heinzel 
remarks  further  on,6  resembles  more  closely  the  account  in  the 
Quete  than  that  given  by  Gerbert.  In  Manessier  and  the  Quete, 
the  Devil  first  tries  to  drown  Perceval,  but  no't  succeeding,  he 
comes  to  him  in  the  shape  of  a  beautiful  woman  ;  on  each  occasion 
Perceval  saves  himself  by  making  the  sign  of  the  cross.  In 
Gerbert,  on  the  other  hand,  (so  far  as  we  can  tell  from  Potvin's 
brief  summary)  Perceval  is  simply  tempted  by  the  woman  to 
commit  carnal  sin  and  resists,  and  afterward  he  is  tempted  again, 
with  the  promise  that  if  he  yields  the  secrets  of  the  Grail  will  be 
made  known  to  him.  Thus,  Manessier  and  Gerbert  having  both 
drawn  on  the  Quete,  it  is  more  probable  that  these  incidents  are 

1  Ibid.,  p.  76.  *  Op.  cit.,  pp.  75-76. 

8  Heinzel  mentions  as  a  further  agreement  "  the  knight  in  the  tomb,"  who 
treacherously  asks  Perceval's  aid.  But  this  point  Manessier  has  in  common  with 
Gautier,  not  Gerbert,  as  the  reference  to  v.  29682  shows.  Heinzel  later  (p.  76) 
corrects  the  mistake. 

*  Op.  cit.,  p.  76.  ;»p.  76. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  89 

part  of  their  common  gleanings  than  that  Gerbert  derived  them 
from  Manessier  and  then  varied  from  him  to  the  extent  noted. 

This  being  the  case,  it  is  plain  that  our  author  may  have  used 
either  one  of  these  Continuations  without  having  used  the  other ; 
if  he  is  indebted  to  Gerbert  for  material,  we  do  not  on  that 
account  have  to  assume  that  he  is  also  indebted  to  Manessier,  and 
moe  versa.  As  we  noted  above,1  the  question  whether  he  was 
acquainted  with  Gerbert  must  be  decided  from  three  episodes. 
The  first  of  these,  in  point  of  order,  is  the  well-known  story  of 
the  Beste  glapissante.  Allusions  are  also  made  to  this  remarkable 
animal  in  the  Huth  Merlin 2  and  the  Portuguese  Domanda?  and 
an  account  of  its  birth  and  doings  is  found  in  the  prose  Tristan, 
of  which  Loeseth  has  made  an  analysis.4  But  a  mere  glance  at 
these  works  will  show  that  the  accounts  they  give  of  the  animal 
have  but  a  vague  connection  with  the  episode  our  author  and 
Gerbert  relate.  All  that  is  necessary,  therefore,  is  to  compare  the 
Perlesvaus  version  of  the  episode  with  that  of  Gerbert  in  order  to 
see  whether  Birch-Hirschfeld  is  correct  in  making  the  one  the 
derivative  of  the  other.  As  the  episode,  however,  is  found  linked 
to  that  of  the  Priests  and  the  Cross,  the  two  stories  will  here  be 
considered  together.  An  outline  of  them  follows. 

Perlesvaus:5  Having  staid  with  his  mother  as  long  as  she 
wished,  Perceval  again  enters  the  grant  forest  soutine  and  rides 
until  he  enters  a  beautiful  glade.  In  the  center  of  the  glade  he 
sees  a  red  cross  and  at  the  further  end  of  it,  seated  in  the  shade  of 
the  forest,  a  knight  arrayed  in  white,  who  is  holding  a  golden 
vessel  in  his  hand.  Opposite  the  knight  sits  a  damsel,  young  and 
fair,  clad  in  white  samite. 

Presently  a  white  doe  comes  forth  from  the  forest  into  the  glade. 
In  size  it  is  between  a  fox  and  a  hare.6  It  is  much  frightened 

1  Cf.  p.  24. 

1 G.  Paris  and  J.  Ulrich,  Merlin  (Soc.  des  anc.  textes  franc.)  Paris,  1886,  vol.  I, 
pp.  149,  160. 

s  K.  von  Reinhardstoettner,  o  Historia  dos  Cavalleiros  da  Mesa  Redonda  e  da 
Demanda  do  Santo  Graal,  Berlin,  1887,  p.  59. 

*  Le  Roman  en  Prose  de  Tristan,  analyse  critique,  by  E.  Loeseth,  Paris,  1891, 
p.  498.  6p.  187ff. 

•The  text  says:  "larger  than  a  fox  and  smaller  than  a  hare,'' — evidently  a 
corruption. 


90  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

because  there  are  fawns  in  its  womb  which  bark  like  hounds. 
Fleeing  from  the  sound,  it  comes  toward  Perceval,  who  is  about 
to  take  it  on  his  horse  when  the  knight  in  white  calls  out  to  him 
to  let  it  feire  sa  destinee. 

The  doe  then  runs  to  the  cross,  and  its  young  are  brought  forth. 
But  they  are  not  of  the  mildness  or  the  beauty  of  the  mother. 
The  latter  crouches  before  them  comme  se  ele  lor  criast  mem. 
They  surround  her  and  tear  her  to  pieces,  but  they  cannot  eat  of 
her  body  or  remove  it  from  the  cross.  The  head,  however,  they 
devour ;  whereupon  they  become  mad  and  run  into  the  forest. 

The  knight  and  the  damsel  now  approach  the  spot  where  the 
doe  is  lying  and  each  puts  some  of  its  flesh  into  the  golden  vessel, 
then  they  kiss  the  spot  and  worship  at  the  cross.  When  they  are 
through,  Perceval  kneels  down  at  the  cross  to  pray. 

By  and  by,  two  priests  issue  from  the  forest  on  foot  and  inter- 
rupt his  devotions.  Perceval  then  withdraws  from  the  cross,  and 
one  of  the  priests  takes  his  place,  "  kissing  the  cross  and  showing 
great  joy."  Before  long  the  other  priest  drives  away  the  first  with 
a  stick,  and  approaching  the  cross  himself,  smites  it  and  laments 
at  the  same  time.  Perceval  inquires  why  he  commits  so  sacrile- 
gious an  act  but  receives  no  answer. 

According  to  Gerbert,1  Perceval  sees  two  priests  before  a  cross  : 
the  one  strikes  it  with  a  stick,  as  if  he  wished  to  upset  it, — until 
his  breath  is  exhausted ;  and  the  other  worships  it  on  bended 
knees,  a  jointes  mains.  Perceval  addresses  one  of  them,  Gerbert 
does  not  say  which. 

Mais  d'autre  chose  ara  entente 

Perchevax,  a  poi  de  saison. 

This  is  an  animal  grant  a  merveille.  It  flees  at  once  from 
Perceval.  Its  young  within  it  bark  like  dogs  that  might  be 
chasing  it.  Perceval  pursues  it  an  entire  day.  Finally,  the  young 
are  born  and  at  once  devour  the  mother,  leaving  only  the  bones. 
Then  they  go  mad  and  eat  up  one  another. 

The  meaning  attached  to  the  acts  of  the  priests  is  the  same  in 
both  works :  the  one  rejoices  over  the  liberation  of  the  damned 

1  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  vol.  yi,  pp.  219-222. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  91 

from  hell  by  the  death  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  other  sorrows  over 
the  agony  Christ  suffered.  The  Perlesvaus  states  that  the  priests 
were  called  Jonas  and  Aliexes,  but  Gerbert  does  not  mention  their 
names.  The  allegory  of  the  Beste  was  explained  above.1 

It  should  be  noted  here  that  before  this  explanation  is  given  in 
Gerbert,  the  Hermit  King  says  to  Perceval : 

"  Biax  amis,  ne  vous  anois 
Se  je  mec  alques  a  respondre, 
Et  contra  volra  despondre, 
Je  li  proveroi  orendroit 
Que  j'en  dirai  raison  et  droit 
Qu'en  la  vie  de  Dieu  me  fie." 

These  words,  primarily  an  apology  for  the  length  of  what  follows, 
may  also  have  been  intended  as  a  vindication  of  the  meaning  given 
the  episode.  The  Hermit  King  intends  to  prove  that  he  tells  the 
truth  about  the  story.  Gerbert  seems  to  have  realized  that  the 
episode  could  be  interpreted  in  other  ways  too.  Possibly  even,  his 
own  explanation  is  a  substitution  for  one  that  was  previously 
current. 

As  I  remarked  above,2  the  light  in  which  Gerbert  regards  the 
two  episodes  explains  the  form  and  the  order  he  has  given  them. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  they  are  not  'separated,'  but  placed  in  the 
inverse  order  of  the  Perlesvaus  versions :  while  Perceval  is  still 
pondering  over  the  behavior  of  the .  priests,  the  Beste  appears. 
Thus,  while  the  arrangement  of  the  episodes  in  our  romance 
admits  the  possibility  that  Gerbert  derived  them  thence,  the 
additional  allegory  of  the  knight  and  the  damsel  in  Perlesvaus 
argues  against  such  an  hypothesis.  However,  then  the  other 
possibility  remains  that  Gerbert  and  our  author  drew  on  a  common 
original.3  Before  attempting  to  settle  the  problem  definitely,  let 
us  consider  the  third  episode  common  to  the  two  romances :  the 
story  of  the  Chevalier  au  dragon. 

The  Perlesvaus  *  version  runs  thus  : 

Coming  to  Kardeil  (Carduel),  Perceval  finds  the  Court  in  great 
distress  because  the  land  is  being  laid  waste  by  a  knight  with  a 
fiery  shield,  whom  no  one  has  been  able  to  resist.  The  knights  of 

'pp.  25,  36.  Jp.36. 

3  Cf.  p.  42,  above.  *  pp.  192-201 . 


92  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

the  Court  greet  Perceval  with  joy  and  for  a  while  their  anxiety 
subsides. 

But  the  destroyer  claims  other  victims,  and  one  day  when  the 
Court  is  at  dinner,  a  damsel-messenger  appears  and  invokes 
Perceval's  aid.  Elinant  de  Cavalon,  Perceval's  cousin,  beloved  by 
the  messenger's  mistress  La  Damoisele  au  cercle  d'or,  has  recently 
been  slain  by  the  dreaded  enemy.  The  messenger  has  brought 
along  the  corpse  of  Elinant,  and  promises  Perceval  the  Cercle  d'or, 
if  he  succeeds  in  avenging  him. 

Perceval  yields  to  her  entreaty,  and  they  set  out  together, 
accompanied  by  Lancelot  and  Gawain.  Presently,  they  come  to 
a  castle,  "turning  more  swiftly  than  the  wind."  Lancelot  and 
Gawain  are  here  left  behind,  and  Perceval  and  the  damsel  ride  into 
the  castle  alone.  The  inhabitants  of  the  place  are  under  the  spell 
of  the  *  old  law.'  *  From  this  Perceval  promptly  delivers  them, 
thereby  pleasing  the  damsel,  who  is  now  certain  that  he  will 
avenge  his  cousin.  They  then  ride  on,  the  damsel  taking  the  lead, 
and  soon  reach  the  Hies  des  Oliphanz.  This  is  the  abode  of  the 
damsel's  mistress ;  it  was  the  most  beautiful  spot  on  earth  until 
the  Chevalier  au  dragon — the  knight  with  the  fiery  shield — made 
it  desolate. 

They  find  the  destroyer  under  an  olive  tree  with  four  of  his 
victims  lying  dead  about  him.  A  short  distance  away  the  Queen 
of  the  Cercle  d'or  stands  at  the  window  of  her  castle,  weeping. 
Seeing  the  cross  on  Perceval's  shield,  she  vows  to  become  a 
Christian  if  he  is  victorious.  Perceval  and  his  companion  now 
approach  the  fiend.  The  latter  is  immensely  tall;  his  shield  is 
noirs  et  granz  et  hideus,  there  is  a  dragon-head  on  it  which  belches 
forth  feu  etflanbe,  creating  a  horrible  stench.  This  is  so  bad  that 
the  messenger  is  forced  to  fall  back,  leaving  Elinant's  corpse  at 
Perceval's  side. 

After  eyeing  Perceval  with  scorn,  the  Chevalier  au  dragon 
comes  toward  him  with  a  huge  'red-hot'  sword.  The  lance 
with  which  Perceval  defends  himself  is  at  once  consumed  by  the 
flames  from  the  dragon-head.  The  latter,  however,  are  powerless 
against  his  shield,  which  contains  relics  of  the  Lord.  Unable  to 
harm  Perceval  in  this  way,  the  destroyer  burns  up  the  body  of 

1  Cf.  above,  p.  9. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  9& 

Elinant.  This  serves  only  to  enrage  Perceval,  who  redoubles  his 
efforts.  He  gives  the  destroyer  several  blows  with  his  sword. 
In  return  the  knight  wounds  him  in  the  shoulder.  Exasperated, 
Perceval  drives  his  sword  through  his  opponent's  shield.  A  great 
turmoil  then  ensues :  the  dragon-head  utters  a  loud  cry,  turns  on 
its  master  in  great  rage  (sic),  burns  him  tout  en  poudre,  and  leaving 
the  shield  it  goes  off  into  the  sky  like  lightning  (sic). 

Perceval  is  immediately  cared  for  by  the  Queen  and  her 
messenger,  who  binds  up  his  wound.  The  Queen  then  summona 
her  knights,  and  having  given  Perceval  the  Cercle  d'or,  she  and 
her  people  receive  baptism  at  his  hands. 

I  now  give  Gerbert's  version.1  Just  how  the  story  is  here 
introduced  is  difficult  to  tell.  It  seems  the  damsel  (whether  it  is 
the  one  of  the  Cercle  d'or  in  person  is  not  stated)  meets  Perceval 
and  knows  by  the  shield  he  carries  that  he  is  to  avenge  her  on  the 
Chevalier  au  dragon. 

The  latter,  she  tells  him,  is  the  brother  of  King  Maragon  ;  he 
lives  on  one  of  the  islands  of  the  sea,  which  he  has  peopled  with 
an  evil  race.  Sometime  ago  he  surrendered  to  the  Devil  with  the 
agreement  that  he  was  to  prevail  over  all  his  enemies  in  battle. 
Thus  far  no  one  has  been  able  to  withstand  him  because  of  the 
'  black '  shield  given  to  him  by  the  Devil.  The  shield  is  : 

.  .  .  .  "  orrible  et  rubeste 
D'un  dragon  i  a  une  teste 
Assise  en  1'escu  par  tel  art 
Qu'il  enflambe  de  fu  et  art 
Celui  qui  a  lui  se  combat." 

She   seems   to   think,   however,  that   Perceval's  shield   is   more 
powerful. 

Perceval  is  anxious  to  measure  his  strength  against  a  knight 
qui  tant  est  plains  de  cruautez,  and  so  the  damsel  offers  to  direct 
Perceval  to  him.  They  come  first  to  an  abbey,  the  inmates  of 
which,  though  half-starved,  rejoice  at  the  sight  of  Perceval's 
shield.  Riding  on,  they  meet  victims  of  the  knight,  who  try  in 
vain  to  dissuade  Perceval  from  his  perilous  undertaking.  Finally 
the  damsel's  castle  is  reached,  near  which  the  knight  is  encamped. 


1  Potvin,  op.  eit.t  vol.  VI,  pp.  223-241. 


94  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Perceval  immediately  challenges  him   by  sounding  a   bell   that 
hangs  from  a  tree  near  by  : 

Tant  durement  le  cloqne  sone 
Que  toz  11  chastiax  resone 
Et  toute  Tost  est  estormie. 

At  the  sound  of  the  bell,  all  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  castle  mount 
on  the  walls, — even  the  lame  and  crippled. 

Et  la  dame J  monte  en  la  tour 
Et  ses  puceles  tout  entour. 

The  Chevalier  au  dragon  can  tell  from  the  continued  ringing  of 
the  bell  that  his  challenger  is  one  of  Arthur's  knights.  He  at 
once  has  himself  armed,  meanwhile  boasting  a  great  deal.  The 
four  youths  that  wait  on  him  hate  the  desloiax,  li  mals  tirans. 
This  induces  Gerbert  to  remark  : 

Bien  doit  avoir  doel  et  contraire 
Li  home  qui  au  deable  sert ; 
En  la  fin  a  che  qu'il  desert ; 
(7 est  permanablement  infer,  etc. 

Having  mounted  his  charger,  the  knight  takes  his  lance,  which 
is  grosse,  roide  etfors,  and  starts  at  full  tilt  for  Perceval. 

.Quant  Perchevax  venir  le  voit 
Et  voit  1'escu  que  il  avoit 
Plus  noir  qu'airement  destempre, 
Et  vit  le  fu  qui  art  le  pre 
Ki  saut  par  la  guele  au  dragon, 
II  sist  al  destrier  arragon 
Son  escu  devant  lui  mis. 

But  when  the  Devil  in  the  dragon-head  perceives  the  cross  on 
Perceval's  shield,  he  roars  like  a  bull : 

Por  che  que  Jhesucrist  li  rois 
Venquist  en  la  crois  la  bataille, 
Por  coi  brisa  infer  sanz  faille 
Et  en  geta  ses  amis  fora 
Qui  souffroient  les  tormens  fors. 

By  this  time  the  knight  and  Perceval  have  met,  with  lances  set. 
A  flame  shoots  forth  from  the  mouth  of  the  dragon-head  and  burns 
Perceval's  lance  to  the  hilt : 

1  Of  the  Oerde  d'or. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  95 

Car  ce  estoit  li  fu  d'enfer 

Qui  tout  art  quanques  il  ataint. 

But  the  knight's  shaft  is  also  shattered.  The  force  of  the  attack 
is  such  that  their  horses  do  not  rebound  but  are  thrown  together 
in  a  heap. 

Et  si  com  li  livres  m'aprent, 

Li  fus  art,  trestot  en  esprent 

As  chevox  les  coles  et  les  teates, 

Qui  trop  estoient  beles  bestes. 

Of  course  everybody  expects  to  see  Perceval  consumed  by  the 
flame.  " Non fu"  says  Gerbert,  " oiez  merveille:"  the  red  cross 
on  Perceval's  shield  comes  into  contact  with  the  dragon-head  on 
the  shield  of  his  opponent ;  a  terrible  noise  ensues  and  the  Devil 
leaves  the  '  dragon/  disappearing  into  the  air  in  the  shape  of  a 
crow. 

The  spectators  shout  to  the  knight  to  repent,  but  to  no  avail : 
the  fight  is  continued  on  foot.  Realizing  the  advantage  Perceval 
has  in  his  shield,  the  knight  tries  to  snatch  it  from  him.  The 
€xcitement  now  reaches  a  high  pitch  : 

La  pucele  au  cercle  d'or  bat 
Ses  palmes,  moult  est  esmarie, 
Et  reclame  eainte  Marie 
Qu'ele  deprit  a  son  cher  fil 
Qu'il  salve  celui  de  peril 
Qui  por  li  a  bataille  prise. 

Both  knights  fall  to  the  ground  exhausted.  Perceval  lets  his 
sword  slip  from  his  grasp  j  before  he  is  able  to  recover  it  the 
knight  has  dealt  him  a  severe  blow. 

Thus  the  conflict  rages  to  and  fro  until  the  knights  decide  to 
fight  it  out  with  their  swords  alone.  Accordingly,  they  lay  down 
their  shields  in  the  field.  Th,e  combat  is  renewed  with  fresh  vigor, 
and  before  long  Perceval  seriously  wounds  his  opponent.  Suddenly 
a  damsel  appears,  who  picks  up  Perceval's  shield  and  rides  off 
with  it.  The  knight  now  succumbs  to  his  wound  and  asks 
Perceval  for  mercy.  He  says  he  would  give  a  kingdom  to  be 
"cured."  Perceval  replies  that  this  is  possible  but  in  another 
sense  than  the  knight  means :  he  must  send  for  a  priest  and  confess 
his  sins. 


96  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Gerbert  uses  this  opportunity  to  make  Perceval  the  mouth-piece 
of  several  sententious  remarks  about  the  corruption  of  the  world 
and  the  wickedness  of  certain  '  clerks '  who  make  their  living  by 
deceiving  others.1 

The  knight,  however,  repents  as  Perceval  wishes. 

Eu  orant  va  a  Dieu  morant 
L'ame  s'en  va,  li  s'entent. 

Perceval  is  praised  by  the  Lady  of  the  Cercle  d'or,  and,  having 
attended  to  the  burial  of  the  knight,  he  rides  away  in  search  of 
his  shield. 

Undeniably  these  versions  constitute  a  striking  likeness  between 
the  two  works.  With  the  exception  of  the  prolongation  of  the 
fight  and  the  pardon  granted  the  knight  in  Gerbert,  they  differ 
only  in  matters  of  detail.  From  a  purely  narrative  point  of  view, 
however,  Gerbert  has  the  better  version,  notwithstanding  his 
tendency  to  moralize  and  to  extend  the  story  beyond  its  natural 
length.  If  either  version  thus  is  secondary  as  compared  with  the 
other,  it  is  our  author's.  This  characteristic  is  especially  evident 
from  the  fact  that  the  knight  is  himself  consumed  by  the  dragon's 
flames  (instead  of  succumbing  to  the  hero's  superior  knighthood), 
and  that  the  episode  is  made  a  sort  of  wager  for  the  conversion  of 
the  Queen,  a  trait  of  the  story  which  is  scarcely  original  but  rather 
the  product  of  our  author's  religious  ideas. 

Nevertheless,  there  are  several  reasons  for  thinking  that  Gerbert 
did  not  originate  the  episode.  Foremost  among  these  is  the  line  :  * 

Et  si  com  li  livres  m'aprent. 

To  support  this  statement,  several  passages  from  Gerbert  might  be 
cited,  showing  that  he  must  have  relied  to  some  degree  on  another 
work.  The  precise  nature  of  this  work  is  of  course  unknown, 
but  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  it  contained  the  episode  in  question. 
We  have  negative  evidence  to  the  same  effect  in  the  mass  of 
details  used  in  the  acccount  of  the  combat,  and  the  long  moraliza- 
tions  in  which  Gerbert  indulges,  which  are  frequently  not  even  to 
the  purpose.3 

1 A  special  attack  on  lawyers.  l  Cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.,  p.  82. 

1  Cf.  that  on  the  evil  ways  of  lawyers. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  97 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Potvin  says  so  little  about  the  damsel 
in  whose  behalf  Perceval  undertakes  the  adventure  in  Gerbert. 
As  one  of  the  verses  informs  us,  she  is  the  Damsel  of  the  Cercle 
d'or  •  but  that  is  all  we  are  told  concerning  her,  and  the  episode 
seems  to  have  been  introduced  into  the  poem  more  on  its  own 
merits  than  because  it  signifies  her  deliverance.  The  fact  that  the 
damsel  is  apparently  of  no  importance  makes  it  appear  that 
Gerbert  took  the  story  out  of  its  original  background, — which  was, 
as  in  the  Perlesvaus,  a  special  set  of  incidents  connected  with  the 
Cercle  d'or,1 — and  turned  it  merely  into  an  illustration  of  Perceval's 
prowess. 

Potvin  distinguishes  the  versions  on  the  basis  of  the  pardon 
granted  the  knight,  a  feature  which  is  peculiar  to  Gerbert.  Another 
noteworthy  difference  is  the  manner  in  which  the  dragon  is 
overcome.  According  to  our  author,  Perceval  drives  his  sword 
through  the  'head'  in  his  adversary's  shield.  But  Gerbert  has 
the  distinctive  trait  that  the  Devil  cannot  resist  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  and  is  therefore  powerless  against  Perceval's  famous  shield. 
This  shield  is  like  that  given  Galaad  in  the  Quete:"*  no  one  but 
he  for  whom  it  is  destined  can  take  it  "  and  go  unslain  or  unhurt." 
As  Gerbert  is  believed  to  have  drawn  on  the  Qudte,  it  is  quite 
probable  that  he  borrowed  the  notion  of  the  shield  from  it. 
Whenever  the  Evil  One  attacks  him,  Galaad  makes  the  sign  of 
the  Cross  and  the  Devil  disappears  with  a  crash  (escrois).  The 
same  expedient  is  employed  by  Perceval  in  Manessier  and  also  in 
Gerbert,3  and  always  with  the  same  result.  If  our  author  took 
the  episode  from  Gerbert,  it  is  unusual,  to  say  the  least,  that  he 
should  have  omitted  a  trait  which  tallies  so  well  with  the 
symbolism  of  the  rest  of  his  work. 

We  thus  see  that  none  of  these  episodes  throw  much  light  on 
the  present  question.  Judging  only  by  the  versions  outlined,  we 
may  assume  either  that  our  author  derived  the  episodes  from 
Gerbert,  or  that  both  writers  appropriated  them,  quite  indepen- 
dently of  one  another,  from  some  other  work.  The  lack  of  strong 
evidence  in  favor  of  either  possibility  is  noteworthy.  Of  course, 

1  Cf.  above,  p.  9.  a  Cf.  Nutt,  op.  cit.,  p.  40. 

3Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  vol.  vi,  p.  175. 
7 


98  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

as  stories  the  Perlesvaus  versions  are  inferior  to  those  of  Gerbert. 
I  agree  fully  with  Heinzel  that  in  almost  every  case  the  former 
impress  one  as  the  more  recent  versions.  They  bear  the  stamp  of 
1  re-workings/  if  any  of  them  do.  Nevertheless,  they  may  just  as 
well  have  been  derived  from  Gerbert's  source  as  from  his  own 
poem.  That  Gerbert  had  an  outside  source,  especially  for  the 
story  of  the  Chevalier  au  dragon,  cannot  be  disputed. 

It  now  remains  to  bring  whatever  external  evidence  there  is  to 
bear  on  the  problem  of  the  relations  between  our  work  and  these 
last  two  Continuations.  Gautier  wrote  his  Continuation  at  the  end 
of  the  twelfth  century.  Manessier  is  thought  to  have  completed 
the  Perceval  between  the  years  1214  and  1220,  and  Gerbert's 
portion  of  the  poem  is  dated  before  1225.1  As  concerns  our  work, 
all  that  can  be  considered  certain  is  that  it  was  composed  after  the 
Crestien,  Pseudo-Gautier  and  Gautier  portions  of  the  Perceval 
had  appeared;  that  is,  not  before  the  year  1200.  Hence,  if  any 
further  light  is  to  be  thrown  on  its  relationship  to  Manessier  and 
Gerbert,  the  approximate  date  of  its  composition  must  first  be 
determined. 


f.  W.  Hertz,  Pareival,  Stuttgart,  1898,  p.  417. 


THE  DATE  OF  THE  PERLESVAUS. 


We  reached  the  conclusion  above  that  the  composition  of  the 
romance  was  inspired  by  the  crusades.1  In  fact,  it  appears  from 
certain  references  in  the  work 2  that  it  was  intended  as  a  sort  of 
crusade  propaganda,  although  there  are  no  indications  that  the 
author  had  any  particular  crusade  in  mind.  The  dedication  to 
Jean  de  Nesle  seems  of  little  value  in  this  connection  because  it  is 
found  in  but  one  MS.,  which  is  not  the  original.  Nevertheless, 
this  dedication  is  the  only  reference  we  possess  to  the  fact  that  the 
work — at  least,  the  B  version  of  it3 — was  intended  for  a  special 
purpose.  We  have  seen  that  all  of  the  MSS.  now  known  belong 
to  the  same  redaction.  The  original  of  MS.  B  must  have  been 
written  at  about  the  same  time  that  the  original  of  the  other  MSS. 
was  composed.  Consequently,  were  the  date  of  the  B  version 
determined,  this  would  at  least  furnish  us  with  a  terminus  ad  quern 
for  the  composition  of  the  romance ;  a  downward  limit  being  the 
year  1200.4 

As  regards  Jean  de  Nesle,  Potvin5  identified  him  with  the 
feudal  lord  of  this  name  who  was  castellan  of  the  town  of  Bruges 
from  1170  to  1212.  The  copy  of  the  Perlesvaus,  he  thinks,  was 
presented  to  him  as  an  incentive  to  join  the  crusades.  Villehar- 
douin,  to  whom  Potvin  refers,  relates6  that  Jean  de  Nesle, 
castellan  of  Bruges,  was  in  charge  of  a  part  of  the  Flemish  con- 
tingent in  the  Fourth  Crusade.  The  party  under  his  leadership, 
who  were  to  join  Baldwin  in  Venice  and  proceed  thence  for  the 

1  Cf.  p.  46. 

*  Especially  pages  1  and  15  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

3  Cf.  above,  p.  14.  By  the  B  version  I  mean  not  only  MS.  B  but  also  its 
original.  *Cf.  p.  98. 

5  Op.  tit.,  vol.  I,  p.  355.  Jean  de  Nesle  must  have  been  dead  by  1212  since  he 
was  then  succeeded  by  his  Ron.  Cf.  index  to  the  work  cited  below,  p.  100,  note  1. 

«  La  Gmqueste  de  Constantinople,  ed.  N.  de  Wailly,  Paris,  1872,  \\  8,  9,  48,  103. 

99 


100  A  Study  of  the  Perhsvaus. 

East,  sailed  from  Flanders  in  June,  1202,  and  spent  the  winter  in 
Marseilles.  They  then  set  out  to  meet  Baldwin,  but  missed  him 
through  ill-luck  and  went  on  alone  to  Syria  (Surie).  Villehar- 
douin  does  not  state  whether  Jean  de  Nesle  returned  to  Europe,  or 
not.1  The  Jean  de  Nesle,  whom  we  find  fighting  in  Philip's  army 
in  1214,  is  evidently  his  successor.2  It  was  also  the  latter,  who  in 
1224  sold  the  castellany  of  Bruges  to  the  countess  of  Flanders,  as 
the  result  of  a  long-drawn  quarrel.3 

Obviously  thus,  as  the  romance  can  be  dated  shortly  after  1200, 
we  may  accept  the  suggestion  of  Potvin  that  the  Jean  de  Nesle  of 
MS.  B  was  the  person  of  this  name  prominent  in  the  Fourth 
Crusade.4  Moreover,  there  is  a  reference,  hitherto  unnoticed, 
which  tends  to  show  that  this  Jean  de  Nesle  was  also  a  staunch 
friend  of  the  Church  at  home,  and  might  well  have  been  the  lord 
to  whom  the  bishop  of  Carnbrai  saw  fit  to  dedicate  such  a  work  as 
the  Perlesvaus.  This  reference  is  to  be  found  in  Migne,  Dictionnaire 
des  Abbayes  et  Monast&res,5  and  relates  te  the  founding  of  the 
Abbaye  aux  Bois,  near  Nesle,6  in  1202  (or  1200)  by  "Jean, 
seigneur  de  Neele,  chatelain  de  Bouges  (Bruges)  et  Eustachie  de 
St.  Paul  (Pol),  sa  femrne."  The  marriage  of  Eustachie  de  St. 
Pol  to  Jean  de  Nesle,  castellan  of  Bruges,  is  further  corroborated 

1  This  was  his  second  trip  to  the  East.  His  first  trip  took  place  in  1188,  probably 
under  the  standard  of  Philip  Augustus ;  at  any  rate,  we  find  him  with  the  army 
encamped  before  St.  John  of  Acre  in  1190.  Cf.  Rodulfus  de  Diceto  (not  Niceto,  as 
Potvin  says,  cf.  above,  p.  22)  in  Recuett  des  historiens  des  Gaules  et  de  la  France, 
by  M.  J.  J.  Brial,  new  edition  by  L.  Delisle,  Paris,  1878,  vol.  xvn,  p.  636. 

2Cf.  De  geslis  Philippi  Augusti  in  ibid.,  p.  99,  and  Potvin,  I.  c..  The  second 
Jean  de  Nesle  seems  to  have  inherited  the  warlike  instincts  but  not  the  pious 
and  upright  disposition  of  his  father.  The  unknown  chronicler  describes  him 
"  procerus  corpore  et  forme  venustissimse,  sed  virtus  animi  venustati  corporis  in 
eo  minime  respondebat."  Cf.  also,  Extraiis  des  chroniques  de  S.  Denis  (in  ibid.) 
p.  405. 

3Cf.  J.  O.  Delepierre:  Precis  des  Annales  de  Bruges,  Bruges,  1835,  p.  21.  The 
price  paid  was  24,545  livres  pariaes,  6  escalins  and  8  deniers. 

4  The  omission  of  the  title  chatelain  in  MS.  B,  does  not  prove  anything.  The 
references  to  Jean  de  Nesle  in  Rodulfus  de  Diceto  and  the  Gestis  Philippi  Augusti 
(cf.  above)  do  not  give  the  title.  Cf.  the  view  of  Birch-Hirschfeld,  above,  p.  27. 

6 Third  series  (Troisieme  et  derni&re  encyclopedic  theologique  ou  troisi&me  et  dernidre 
eerie  de  dictionnaires  sur  toutes  parties  de  la  science  religieuse),  vol.  XVI. 

6  Cf.  Larousse,  Grand  Dictionnaire  Universel,  vol.  xi,  p.  240. 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  101 

by  Mas  Latrie.1  It  is  generally  thought,  too,  that  this  Jean  de 
Nesle  was  the  patron  whom  Audefrois  li  Bastars  addresses  in  his 
lyrics.2 

But  Potvin  is  clearly  wrong  in  claiming  that  the  bishop  of 
Cambrai,  the  seignor  de   Cambrein3  of  MS.   B,   was   Roger   de 
Wauriu,  as  the  latter  died  in  1191.     A  more  likely  view  is  that  it 
was  John  III  of  Bethune,  who  was  consecrated  in  1200,  and  who 
lost  his  life  in  the  expedition  against  the  Albigensians.4 

We  may  therefore  infer  that  the  Perlesvaus  was  composed 
during  the  early  years  of  the  thirteenth  century;  1200  is  the 
approximate  date  of  Gautier's  Continuation,  and  1202  marks  the 
departure  for  the  East  of  Jean  de  Nesle,  to  whom  the  B  version  is 
dedicated.  As  Jean  de  Nesle  made  the  Church  a  valuable  gift 
before  he  sailed,  the  B  version  may  have  been  intended  not  only 
as  a  spur  to  further  service  but  also  as  an  expression  of  deep-felt 
gratitude.  Of  course,  it  is  improbable  that  1202  will  ever  be 
accepted  as  the  precise  date  of  the  B  version,  as  this  would  place 
it  too  soon  after  the  actual  composition  of  the  romance.  Indeed, 
it  is  doubtful  whether  the  exact  date  can  be  determined.  But, 
however  that  may  be,  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  the  romance 
itself  was  written  at  about  that  period,  and  that  the  B  text 
appeared  before  1212.  Accordingly,  the  work  must  be  considered 
as  independent  of  the  Continuations  of  Mauessier  and  Gerbert, 
neither  of  which  was  written  until  after  1214.5 

NOTE. — I  have  not  considered  it  necessary  to  discuss  the  question,  whether 
the  romance  existed  originally  in  a  Latin  form.  The  mention  of  Josephus  and 
several  other  passages  in  the  romance  (pp.  1,  79,  152)  to  my  mind  show  clearly 
that  the  Latin  original  claimed  by  the  author  is  a  fiction.  Cf.  on  this  point, 
Heinzel,  op.  cit.,  p.  172. 


1  Tresor  de  Chrvnique,  col.  1675. 

*  Cf.  Hist.  Litt.,  xviii ;  also,  Les  plus  ancient  ehansonniers  franfais  (in  Ausgaben 
und  Abhandlungen,  xciv),  by  Jules  Brakelman,  Marburg,  1896,  p.  93.    Audefrois 

mentions  his  patron  as: 

Qui  de  Niele  est  sire, 

Li  cortois  et  le  sage. 

'The  bishops  of  Cambrai  were  suzerains  of  the  territory  in  which  Cambrai 
was  situated. 

4Cf.  Mas  Latrie,  op.  cit.,  col.  1402. 
6Cf.  above,  p.  98. 


CONCLUSIONS. 


Light  has,  I  hope,  been  thrown  by  this  study  on  the  relationship 
of  the  Perlesvaus  to  the  Perceval  and  the  Metrical  Joseph.1  Indi- 
cations that  the  other  French  Grail  works  were  sources  of  the 
romance  are  entirely  lacking,  as  Heinzel  has  already  shown.2  On 
the  contrary,  it  would  seem,  as  Gaston  Paris  originally  proposed,8 
that  the  Perlesvaus  was  itself  one  of  the  sources  from  which  the 
primitive  Quele  was  compiled.  With  the  Grand  St.  Graal  and 
the  Didot-Perceval  the  work  appears  to  be  in  no  way  connected.* 

The  results  of  the  present  study  may  be  summed  up  as  follows : 

1.  Our  author  followed  the  Joseph  of  Robert  de  Borron  faith- 
fully in  the  references  he  gives  to  the  so-called  '  Early  History,' 
except  when  the  Joseph  would  have  brought  him  into  conflict  with 
the  Crestien  portion  of  the  Perceval;  then  he  wavers  between  the 
Joseph  and  the  Perceval. 

2.  The  Perceval  proper  is  the  work  with  which  he  shows  most 
familiarity,  and  which  must  have  served  principally  as  his  model. 
The  general  design  of  the  work,  the  account  given  of  the  hero's 
boyhood,  the  two  Grail  adventures  of  Gawain  and  Lancelot  are 
proof  that  he  knew  it  and  that  he  used  it  abundantly. 

3.  His  indebtedness  was  also  shown  to  the  first  two  Continua- 
tions of  Crestien's  poem,  by  Pseudo-Gautier  and  Gautier.     As 
borrowings  from  Pseudo-Gautier  we  noted :  the  incident  illustrat- 
ing Perceval's  zeal  as  a  warrior,  and  the  account  of  his  arrival  at 
Arthur's  court  in  the  mysterious  ship.     From  Gautier  he  took  the 
Chessboard  episode  and  one  or  two  features  based  on  it,  the  storm 

1  Cf.  above,  p.  39  ff.  2  Op.  cit.,  p.  173.  3  Cf.  above,  p.  27. 

*It  mav  be  remarked  here  that  it  is  impossible  to  bring  the  romance  into 
connection  with  the  English  Sir  Perceval  of  Oalles  (Thornton  romances,  ed.  by 
Halliwell,  Camden  Society,  London,  1884) ;  the  latter  is  chiefly  concerned  with 
the  Great  Fool  tale  and  has  no  incidents  in  common  with  our  romance. 

102 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  103 

in  the  forest  which  befalls  only  the  Grail  seeker,  and  Perceval's 
return  to  his  old  home  in  the  Lonely  Forest.  In  addition,  several 
minor  points  were  mentioned  which  were  probably  suggested  by 
these  works. 

4.  But  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  he  utilized  the  Continuations 
of  Manessier  and  Gerbert.  The  relation  of  the  romance  to  Manes- 
sier  is  in  itself  very  doubtful.  A  possibility  would  exist  that  he 
drew  on  Gerbert, — especially  since  we  learned  that  Gerbert  worked 
independently  of  Manessier, — but  that  the  date  of  the  romance, 
which  we  had  to  place  within  the  limits  of  1200-1212,  definitely 
establishes  his  independence  of  the  last  two  Continuations. 

As  to  the  manner  in  which  our  author  treated  his  sources,  we 
had  the  best  illustration  of  his  method  in  the  Grail  episode.  Ex- 
cepting the  changes  made  on  religious  or  moral  grounds,  he  seems 
to  have  been  averse  to  altering  the  materials  he  wished  to  use,  but 
as  far  as  possible  wove  them  bodily  into  his  story.  Most  of  the 
modifications  we  have  found  were  probably  unintentional.  This 
is  as  true  of  the  incidents  derived  from  Pseudo-Gautier  and  Gau- 
tier  as  of  those  taken  from  Crestien.  In  fact,  he  apparently  made 
no  distinction  between  the  Perceval  proper  and  the  first  two  Con- 
tinuations, seeing  that  borrowings  from  all  three  are  intermingled 
in  his  work,  and  that  we  know  in  one  instance  an  episode  from 
Gautier  was  fused  with  one  from  Crestien.1  Manessier  informs  us 
that  he  knew  the  first  three  parts  of  the  Perceval  as  one  continuous 
poem,2  and  our  author  was  probably  under  the  same  impression. 
Thus,  there  is  nothing  strange  in  the  fact  that  he  should  confuse 
them. 

But  he  was  above  all  a  compiler,  and  not  even  a  very  skillful 
one.  Whatever  originality  he  possessed  is  to  be  seen  in  the 
general  plot  of  the  romance  and  the  mystical  spirit  it  breathes. 
In  the  elaboration  of  his  theme  he  depended  upon  others.  That 
he  added  no  new  material  need  not  surprise  us  as  few  writers  of 
that  time  invented  any  of  their  stories.  The  adaptation  of  the 
old  matter  to  some  new  end  was  all  that  could  be  expected  of  any 
poet.  But  unlike  his  great  predecessor,  Crestien,  he  shows  no  art  in 
€mbellishing  his  material  and  in  moulding  it  into  new  forms.  His 

1  Cf.  above,  pp.  59-61.  3  Cf.  Potvin,  op.  cit.,  vol.  n,  p.  307  ff. 


104  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

work  is  full  of  inconsistencies,  which  can  only  be  explained  by  the 
supposition  that  it  was  written — at  least,  for  the  most  part — from 
memory.  For  this  reason  so  many  features  lack  point  when 
compared  to  the  corresponding  features  of  the  Perceval. 

NOTE. — Several  parallels  to  parts  of  our  romance  came  to  my  knowledge  after 
the  above  pages  had  been  written.  I  have  brought  them  together  here,  but 
without  attempting  to  arrange  them  in  any  particular  order,  or  to  establish  their 
ezact  relation  to  our  work. 

Geoffrey  of  Monmouth's  account  of  King  Ritho  (cf.  Historia,  vn,  ch.  v  and 
Hist,  litt.,  xxx,  p.  243-245)  was  probably  the  prototype  of  the  Chaslel  de  Barbes 
(p.  97),  where  shirts  are  made  of  the  beards  taken  from  the  passers-by.  Similarly, 
the  story  of  Arthur's  birth  (p.  229)  goes  back  to  that  of  the  Historia,  viu,  ch.  19. 

Gawain's  adventurous  history  (p.  252)  has  been  traced  by  J.  D.  Bruce  (De  Ortu 
Waluuani,  Mod.  Language  Publications,  xm,  p.  372)  to  the  legend  of  Gregory 
the  Pope.  Cf.  in  this  connection,  the  account  of  the  three  Grigoires  (Perlesv.,  p. 
250)  who  bring  the  first  church  bells  from  the  terre  de  promission  (cf.  above,  p.  29). 

The  bridges  which  Gawain  crosses  on  hia  way  to  the  Grail  Castle  (p.  84)  remind 
one  of  the  Bridge  of  Souls  in  the  mediaeval  Visions  (cf.  Gaston  Paris,  Romania, 
Xli,  p.  508  ff.  and  Becker,  Mediceval  Visions  of  Heaven  and  Hell,  Baltimore,  1899, 
pp.  18  and  19).  The  Pont  de  PAnguile,  the  first  bridge  he  crosses,  has  the  same 
traits  as  the  Mohammedan  bridge  al  Sirat :  it  is  extremely  narrow  at  first  but 
broadens  beneath  the  foot-steps  of  the  righteous.  Khys  (Arthurian  Legend,  p. 
56)  claims  that  it  takes  its  name  from  the  Irish  'Snake'  or  'Rainbow'  river,  a 
stream  of  venom  which  according  to  Taliessen  flows  round  the  world.  This 
would  agree  very  well  with  the  name  Anguile,  unless  it  could  be  shown  that  the 
original  name  was  Aiguile;  i.  e.,  Needle.  Owein  crosses  such  a  bridge  in  St. 
Patrick's  Purgatory  (cf.  Krapp,  The  Legend  of  St.  Patrick's  Purgatory,  Baltimore, 
1900,  p.  9). 

The  punishment  which  Perceval  inflicts  on  the  Sires  de  Mores  (p.  184)  is 
another  indication  of  the  influence  of  Vision  literature.  According  to  the 
Visions,  e.  g.  Dante,  Inferno,  xu,  21,  homicides  are  punished  by  being  cast  into  a 
lake  of  blood,  "burning  and  filled  with  mire."  The  Sires  de  Mores  is  thrust 
headforemost  into  a  vat  filled  with  his  accomplices'  blood,  in  which  his  head  is 
held  submerged  until  he  drowned. 

The  chief  points  of  resemblance  with  the  legend  of  Brendan  have  been  men- 
tioned by  Heinzel  (above,  pp.  29  and  37) ;  cf.,  for  a  full  list  of  references,  Gral- 
romane,  p.  172.  Professor  Rhys  (op.  dt.,  p.  300)  has  identified  the  Turning 
Castle  (p.  195 ;  cf.  above,  p.  92)  with  Cser  Pedryvan,  called  also  Cser  Sidi,  which 
Taliessin  describes  in  his  poem  on  the  harrying  of  Hades.  Caer  Pedryvan  means 
the  Four-horned  or  Four-cornered  Castle,  which  brings  to  mind  the  City  of  the 
Four  Horns  in  the  'Earthly  Paradise'  (Perlesv.,  p.  328). 

Cser  Pedryvan  and  the  Turning  Castle  both  resemble  the  Island  of  the  Open 
Door  in  the  Voyage  of  Maelduin  (cf.  Meyer  and  Nutt,  Voyage  of  Bran,  vol  I, 
p.  169). 

Lot,  the  name  of  Arthur's  son  (p.  169)  is  connected  by  Rhys  (op.  dt.,  p.  61} 
with  the  Welsh  llachar,  which  means  '  gleaming '  or  '  flashing.'  Lot's  habit  of 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  105 

going  to  sleep  on  the  bodies  of  his  dead  foes  is  explained  (I.  c.)  as  the  remnant 
of  a  nature  myth,  typifying  the  setting  of  the  sun.  But  Khys  is  mistaken  that 
the  island  visited  '  weekly '  by  the  King  of  Chattel  Mortel  (p.  137)  is  the  same  as 
Puffin  Island  (cf.  Khys,  op.  eit.,  p.  325),  since  the  name  Lannog,  by  which  it  is 
called  in  the  Welsh  text  (p.  276),  is  not  found  in  any  of  the  French  MSB.  but  is 
obviously  an  addition  of  the  Welsh  scribe. 

The  romance  abounds  in  references  to  the  Scriptures.  The  King  of  Chattel 
Mortel  is  compared  to  Cain  (p.  215).  In  regard  to  his  death,  it  is  said  that  "  the 
end  of  the  wicked  is  bad"  ;  cf.  Prov.  xi,  5.  The  cruelty  of  Perceval  toward  the 
Sires  de  Mores  is  justified  by  the  '  Law,'  which  commands  "  que  1'on  feist  justise 
des  homicides  et  des  traitors."  Perceval's  mother  would  have  preferred  a  more 
lenient  course  (p.  180),  for  "  1'escripture  dit  que  1'en  ne  doit  mie  feirc  mal  a  ces 
(ses)  anemis,  mes  prier  a  Dieu  qui  les  ament "  (cf.  Matt,  vii,  1).  She  also  claims 
that  it  was  Solomon  who  taught  that  "  the  sinner  who  curseth  another  curseth 
himself  also"  (p.  180).  P.  204  we  have  a  somewhat  blurred  account  of  the 
Manna  story,  cf.  Exodus,  xvi,  16.  Judas  Maccabee  is  cited  (p.  32)  as  the  founder 
of  falconry — a  reference,  however,  which  is  more  mediaeval  in  its  nature  than 
biblical.  Finally,  the  influence  of  the  Apocalypse  is  seen  in  the  '  sealed  heads ' 
which  the  Damsel  of  the  Cart  carries  about  with  her  (p.  27) ;  cf.  Rev.  vn,  3 :  "  till 
we  have  sealed  the  servants  of  our  God  on  their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  the 
number  of  them  which  were  sealed,  a  hundred  and  forty  thousand,  sealed  out  of 
every  tribe  of  the  children  of  Israel." 


APPENDIX. 


I. 

TEXTS. 

I  give  here  copies  of  the  passage  (cf.  above,  pp.  5  and  9)  in 
which  MS.  B  is  deficient.  For  the  copy  taken  from  MS.  O  I 
gratefully  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  Miss  Tolrnin  Smith. 
The  copy  from  MS.  P  was  made  by  myself. 

(Oxford,  Ration  MS.  82, /.  57  c.) 

la  mainee  damoisele  apela  lo  roi  artu  sire  fait  ele  u'  auez  les  pi' 
riches  armes  de  lasemblee,  &  si  estes  li  mielz  armez,  or  gardez  que 
u'  soiez  hui  bons  ch?s  por  lamor  de  moi  damoisele  fait  li  rois  den 
le  motroit  que  ie  puise  estre  bon  cie  ailors  e  u'  fait  lainee  damoisele 
misire  .G.  gardez  que  Ion  die  bieii  de  u'  &  que  Ion  ne  uous  concise, 
si  gardez  bien  q'  u'  aiez  uolente  au  repairier  de  faire  mon  plaisir 
.da.  fait  il  ml't  grant  merchiz  quant  u'  le  daigniez  dire,  puis  se  ptent 
de  la  tete  les  petiz  galoz  sor  frain  e  porsailet  lor  ceuaus.  II  ont 
les  esc'  as  cols  fres  e  noueaus  e  les  couu'tures  auteces  e  les  glaiues  es 
poinz  e  les  espees  caintes.  les  damoi  les  esgardent  en  lor  aler  ml't 
uolentiers.  si  dient  q'il  perent  bie  estre  bon  ch?.  damoi.  fait  la 
mainee  done  sui  ie  bien  a  ami  p  mo  cief  fait  ele  oil.  mais  misire 
.G.  ne  me  respont  mie  a  ma  uolente.  si  licuit  encore  ml't  bien 
merir. 

[Ajtant  sunt  li  ch?  asamble  de  totes  pars  e  les  roles  uenues.  li 
roi  e  misire  .G.  se  fierent  en  lasamblee  ausi  9me.  .ii.  lions  e  abatent 
en  lor  venir  .ii.  ch?s  de  coi  misire  .G.  prent  les  ceuaus.  si  les 
9mande  si  les  9mande  au  uaslet  lo  roi  present  as  .ii.  damoiseles 
onques  puis  ne  cei[?]ndirent  le  ior  anP  gaaig  faire  ne  omques  nasem- 
blerent  a  rote  que  il  ne  pchassent.  nos  ne  poeit  sofrir  lor  meslee 
106 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  107 

longemt  nabigans  de  la  roche  choisi  misire  G.  &  misire  G.  lui.  il 
seutreuienent  de  fsg^nt  radonee  misire  G.  le  fiert  p  telair  enmi  le 
piz  que  il  abat  e  lui  ceual  tot  en  .i.  mont.  le  roi  artus  neut  mie 
oiseus  daute  part,  aiz  li  laisent  li  plusor  la  uoie.  asez  iot  des  autres 
ch?s  bien  faisanz  mais  il  ne  iot  nul  qui  a  lor  bien  fait  sapuiast.  il 
donerent  le  ior  asez  de  cops,  e  asez  e'  recoillerent.  la  samblee  se 
depti  ala  uesprer.  li  ch?  se  desarmerent  as  loges  [     ]  que  cil  as  armes 
dor  e  cil  as  armes  uermeiles  lont  miels  fait  que  n'  des  autres.  & 
dient  que  cil  as  armes  [est]  mout  bos  ch?s.  li  roi  artur  &  misire  .G. 
sunt  desarme.  les  damoi  lor  font  ml't  grant  ioie.  atant  es  u'  .i.  nain 
uenu  qui  ert  as  (da)damoiseles  fait  il  soiez  ioiouses  que  toz  sacor- 
dent  que  uostre  ch?  lont  miels  fait  que  tuit  li  autre.  li  roi  e  misire 
.G.  sasiet  au  mangier,  e  les  damoi  a  une  riche  table  diuoire  bendee 
dor  enuiron  a  riches  pieres.  e  orent  mes  de  uenoison  a  grant  plente. 
il  furent  serui  en  riche  uaiselemente  dor  e  darient.  de  uins  &  de 
pimenz.  li  roi  artus  maia  auec  la  damoi  mainee.  &  misire  .G.  auec 
laute.  il  desiret  ap's  le  mengier  le  dormir  e  le  reposer  car  il  estoient 
ml't  traueiliez  des  cops  quil  auoient  donez  e  recheuz.  il  se  couchie- 
reut  iusqua  lendemain  que  li  ior  aparut  beaus  e  clers  e  que  li  ch? 
fu[erent  leue  par  les  loges.  li  plusors  sarmoiet  ia  car  il  desirroient 
la  semblee.  li  roi  e  mibire  furent  leue.     Atant  ez  u'  les  .ii.  damo.  ou 
uienent.     Misire  art'  de  bretaigne  b5  ior  e  buene  auenture  u'  otroit 
hui  dex  fait  lamainee  .da.  e  u'  aiez  ioie  e  honor  fait  li  rois  .da.  fait 
li  autre  menbre  uos  hui  don  roi  de  la  gaise  ou  u'  uos  h'beiattes  quat 
uos  eustes  lespee  comquise  de  coi  saint  iohan  fu  decolez.  il  la  uolt 
detenir  de  coi  u'  fustes  ml't  dolanz.  mais  il  la  u'  redi  p  icel  coue- 
nant  que  u'  feriez  la  p'miere  chose  q}  da.  u'  diroit  sanz  9tredit  .da. 
fait  misire  G.  de  ce  me  mbre  il  bie  dont  estes  u'  ia  en9te.     Da.  se 
deu  plaist  ie  ferai  bien  quant  q'  ie  deurai  se  dex  le  me  9sent  misire 
.G.  ie  u'  requier  &  p'  por  u'  esprouer  se  u'  estes  si  loials  9  o[n]  dit. 
que  u'  soiez  hui  a  lasamblee  li  pis  faisant  de  toz  &  que  u'  i  faites 
totes  les  coardies  que  u'  puet  faire.  si  narez  autres  armes  que  les 
uos  por  uos  miels  conoistre.  e  se  u'  ainsi  ne  le  faites  u'  aurez  failli 
des  couenances  que  u'  eustes  e'  couet  lo  roi  sor  nre  fiance,  e  ie 
meisme  li  irai  dire  .da.  fait  misire  .G.  ie  ne  failli  onq's  de  chose 
que  ieuse  en  couenant.  por  ce  que  ie  le  puise  ateindre.  non  ferai  ie 
de  cestui  se  u'  uolez.  p  mo  cief  fait  ele  oil.  &  si  ne  me  priet  u' 
dou  relaier  q'  ie  ne  feroie  niet.  la  mainee  baila  le  ior  lo  roi  artu  .i. 


108  A  Study  of  the  Perksvaus. 

bloues  armes  aut'si  9me  dazur  si  li  proia  e  requist  q'l  les  portast 
por  samor.  lasablee  fu  9mchie.  misire  .G.  nout  autres  armes  q'  les 
soues.  il  senuindrent  a  lasemblee.  q'  ia  estoit  ml't  granz  e  les  rotes 
uenoiet  de  totes  pars,  li  renc  estoit  deuise.  li  roi  art'  fiert  eenaus 
des  espons.  &  abat  .ii.  chrs  e'  so  uenir.  misire  .G.  sabandone  entre 
.ii.  rens 

(B.  N.  f.  1428,  f.  103  c.) 

1.  9.  la  maiznee  damoisele  apela  le  roi  artu.  sire  fait  ele  uos  auez  totes 

les  plus  riches  armes  de  lasamblee  &  si  estes  li  plus  biax  armez  q 
ie  onqs  mais  ueisse.  Ore  gardez  que  uos  soiez  hui  bons  ch'rs  por 
lamor  de  moi.  Damoisele  fait  li  rois  damnedex  le  motroit  que  je 
puisse  estre  bons  &  ci  &  aillors.  &  vus  missire  .G.  fait  li  ainznee 
damoisele  gardez  que  Ion  die  merueilles  de  uos  &  que  Ion  ne  uos 
reconoisse.  si  gardez  bien  q  uos  aiez  coer  &  uolente  an  repairier  de 
faire  mon  plaisir.  Damoisele  fait  il  molt  grans  merciz  quant  uos 
le  deigniez  dire,  puis  se  partent  de  la  tente  les  petiz  galos  soz  frai' 
&  porsaillent  lor  cheuax  siq'l  font  la  tere  canbir  desoz  lor  piez.  II 
ont  les  escus  as  cols  fors  &  noviax  &  les  couertures  ouvrees  &  les 
glaues  espoiz  &  les  espees  caintes  les  damoiseles  les  esgardent  en  lor 

Fol.  103  d.  aler  molt  volentiers  [si  dient  q'l  perent  bien  este  bon  ch'r.  Da- 
moisele fait  li  mainznee  dont  ne  sui  io  bien  a  ami  par  mon  chief 
fait  ele  oil.  mes  mesire  .G.  ne  me  respont  mie  a  ma  uolente.  si 
liq't  encore  ml't  bien  merir. 

[AJtant  sont  asamble  li  ch'r  de  totes  pars.  &  les  rotes  venues  li 
roit  [s]  &  mesire  .G.  se  fierent  en  lasamblee  autresi  9me  li  lion.  & 
abatent  en  lor  venir  .11.  ch'rs  de  qi°  mesire  .G.  prent  les  cheuax.  si 
les  9mande  al  uallet  le  roi  presenter  les  deus  damoiseles.  Onqs  puis 
nentendirent  le  jor  anul  gaaig  faire.  Ne  onqs  nasamblerent  a  route 
que  il  ne  percasent  Nus  ch'r  ne  pooit  soufrir  lor  mellee  longuemet. 
Nabigans  de  la  roche  choisi  monseignor  .G.  &  mesire  .G.  lui.  II 
sentrevienent  de  tres  grant  randonee.  mesire  .G.  le  fiert  par  teil  air 
enmi  le  piz.  Que  il  abat  tot  en  un  mont  &  lui  &  le  cheval  a  tere. 
li  rois  art'  ne  rest  mie  oiseus  dautrepart.  Ainz  li  laisset  li  pluisor  la 
uoie  quant  il  le  uoient  venir.  Asez  i  out  des  autres  ch'rs  bien  faisanz. 

F.  104  a.  Mais  il  nen  i  ot  nul  q'  alor  bie  fait  sapuiast.  [II  donerent  le  jor 
assez  de  couls  &  asez  en  recoillirent.  lasamblee  departi  ala  uesprer.  li 
ch'r  sedesarment  as  loges  galesches.  &  dient  entreux  que  cil  as  armes- 


A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus.  109 

dor  &  cil  as  armes  uermeilles  lont  mielz  fait  que  nus  des  autres.  & 
tesmoignent  &  dient  que  cil  as  armes  uermeilles  est  molt  boens  ck'rs 
<fe  molt  i  a  fait  darmes.  lirois  art'  &  mesire  .G.  sont  desarme  ala 
tente.  les  damoiseles  lor  font  grant  joie.   Atant  ezuos  .1.  nal  venu 
q'estoit  as  damoiseles.     Damoiseles  fait  il  soiez  iojeuses.  kar  tot  cil 
delasamblee  sacordent.     Que  votre  ch'r  lont  mielz  fait  que  tot  li 
autre.   Li  rois  &  mesire  .G.  furent  molt  houore  en  la  tente  &  sasient 
au  mangier.  &  les  damoiseles.     Avne  riche  table  divoire.  bendee 
dor  environ  a  riches  pieres  precieuses.  &  eurent  mes  de  Venison  a 
grant  plente.     II  furent  servi  en  riche  vaisselemente  dor  &  dargent 
de  vins  &  pivment.  li  rois  art'  manja  auoeqs  la  damoisele  mainznee 
&  mesire  .G.  auoeqs  lautre.     II  desirrerent  aps  le  mangier  le  dor- 
mir.  &  le  reposer.  kar  il  estoient  molt  tra  [veillez  des  cols  q'l 
auoient  donez  &  receuz.     Isse  couchierent  tresca  lendemal  que  li 
jorz  aparut  biax  &  clers  &  que  li  ch'r  furent  leue  par  les  loges  &  par 
les  teutes.  li  plusor  sarmoent  ja  q'desirroient  lasa'blee.     Li  rois  & 
mesire  .G.  furent  leue.    Atant  ezuos  les  .11.  damoiseles  ou  vienent. 
mesire  art'  de  tintaguel  bon  jor  &  bon  auenture  vos  otroit  hui  diex 
fait  li  mamee  damoisele.  uos  aiez  joie  &  onor  fait  li  rois.     Mesire 
.G.  fait  li  autre  damoisele  membre  uos  hui  del  roi  de  la  gase  la  ou 
uos  h'berjastes  quat  uos  eustes  lespee  9'qse  de  coi  sains  Johans  fu 
decolers.     II  la  uolt  detenir  de  coi  uos  fustes  molt  dolenz.  mais 
il  le  uos  rendi  par  tel  couenaiit  que  uos  feriez  la  premiere  chose  que 
damoisele  uos  requerroit.  sanz  Otredit.     Damoisele  fait  mesire  .G. 
de  ce  me  membre  il  bie.     Dont  nesterez  uos  ja  fait  ele  enOtre  se 
dicu  plaist.     Mesire  .G.  je  uos  req'er  &  p'  por  uos  esprouver  seu' 
estes  si  loiax  9me  Ion  dist.  Que  uos  soiez  hui  a  lasablee  li  pis  faisauz 
de  toz  &  que  uos  i  faites  totes  [les  couardies  &  les  mauvastiez  que 
n'  ch'rs  puist  faire  si  narez  autres  armes  q  les  ures  por  uos  mielz 
conoistre.  siuos  mosterez  tot  en  apert.  &  seuos  issi  nele  faites  uos 
imrez  failli  descouenances.  que  uos  eustes  en  couent  le  roi  sor  uostre 
fiance.  &  je  meismes  li  irai  dire.    Damoisele  fait  mesire  .G.  jene 
failli  onqs  de  couenances  porce  que  je  le  peuisse  ateiidre.  no  ferai 
je  decestui  se  uolez  que  je  la  face,  par  mon  chief  fait  ele  oil.  &  * 
ne  me  proit  nus  del  relaier.  kar  jo  nen  feroie  uoieut.    La  damoisele 
malznee  bailla  le  jor  leroi  artu  vnes  armes  bloues  autresi  9me 
dazur.  sili  p'ia  &  req'st  q'l  les  portast  por  la  soue  amor,  li  rois  len 
mercia  molt,  lasamblee  fu  comencie.  mesire  .G.  not  autres  armes 


110  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus, 

que  les  siues.  parcoi  il  estoit  conuz  partot.     II  senvindrent  ala- 
samblee  q'  ja  estoit  molt  granz  &  les  routes  venoient  de  totes  parz. 
li  renc  estoien  deuise.  li  rois  art'  fiert  cheuax  des  esporons  9me 
F.  104  d.     bos  ch'rs  &  abat  .11.  ch'rs  en  son  venir.  me[sire  .G.  sabandone 


II. 
GENEALOGY  OF  THE  GRAIL  FAMILY. 

(a)  Maternal  side. 


1 
1 

X 

1 

1 
Joseph  of  Arknathea  (Fisher  King,  p.  340.) 

Roi  Peschierres  ; 
Peleur,  W. 

Ygloas,  Yglais  (p.  145) 
(oldest  after  the  Fisher 
King,  p.  207); 
Iglais,  Bern  MS.  ; 
Iglais,  O  ; 
Igleis,  W. 

Pelles. 
the  Hermit  King,  m. 
sister  of  a  hermit. 

Josuias,  p.  152  ; 
Jornas,  W. 

Joseus,  p.  209. 

King  of  Chas- 
tel  Mortel,  p. 
215. 

Perceval  (usually  known  as  Bon  Chevalier) ;  Dindrane,  Dandrenor,  p.  145  -r 

Par-lui-fez,  p.  87 ;  Dradanes,  MS.  G.; 

Perlesvaus,  p.  105 ;  Danbrann,  W. 

Percevax,  p.  131 ; 

Fil  a  la  Veve  Dame,  p.  156 ; 

Sodoiers  Notre  Seignor,  p.  204. 

(b)  Paternal  side. 

Nichodemus  (cf.  above,  p.  38). 

Gais ;  Glais,  Bern  MS. ;  Gainiams,  G ;  Gais,  C. 

Ban  de  Benoiye,         Julien  (slain  by  a  giant),  eleven  brothers.1 

cousin  of  Julien,         Julien  le  Gros,  p.  139, 
p.  107.  Vilain  le  Gros,  p.  145 ; 

Julain  le  Gros,  O; 

Alain  le  Gros,  C ; 
Lancelot.  Earl  Evrawg,  W.  (cf.  Mabinogi  of  Peredur). 

Perceval. 

1  Chief  among  these  are:  3,  Bruns  Brandalis  (cf.  Rhys,  op.  cit.,  p.  309);  5, 
Brandalus  de  Gales  (cf.  ibid.,  p.  309) ;  6,  Elinans  de  G(C)avalon  (cf.  Perceval,  v. 
6169) ;  and  7,  Galobrutes,  Calobrutus  (MS.  O;  cf.  Heinzel,  op.  cit.,  p.  195). 


BIBLIOGRAPHY,1 


TEXTS. 

Brendan  (Anglo-Norman) :  Lea  Voyages  Merveilleux  de  Saint  Brandun  ci  la  Recherche 

du  Paradis  Ttrrestre,  Francisque  Michel,  Paris,  1878. 
Chevalier  as  deus  Espees,  ed.  by  W.  Foerster,  Halle,  1877. 
Demanda :  A  Historia  dos  Cavalleiros  de  Mesa  Redonda  e  Da  Demanda  do  Santo 

Graall,  K.  von  Rheinhardstoettner  (partial  edition),  Berlin,  1887. 
Diu  Krone  of  Heinrich  von  dem  Tuerlin,  ed.  by  J.  H.  F.  Scholl  (Bibliothek  des 

Litterarischen  Vereins,  vol.  xxvii),  Stuttgart,  1852. 
Durmart:  Durmart  le  Gallois,  E.  Stengel  (Bibliothek  des  Litterarischen  Vereins, 

vol.  cxvi),  Stuttgart,  1873. 

Erec  :  Erec  und  Enide  von  Christian  von  Troyes,  W.  Foerster,  Halle,  1890. 
Espurgatoire  St.  Patriz  of  Marie  de  France,  ed.  by  T.  A.  Jenkins,  Philadelphia, 

1894. 
Fled  Sricrend,  translated  from  the  Irish  by  Kuno  Meyer  (Revue  Celtique,  vol. 

xiv,  p.  455),  Paris. 

Grand  St.  Graal:  Le  Saint-Graal,  E.  Hucher,  Le  Mans,  1875-78,  vols.  n  and  in. 
Yvain:  Der  Loewenritter  (Yvairi)  von  Christian  von  Troyes,  W.  Foerster,  Halle, 

1887. 
Joseph  (Metrical) :  Le  Roman  du  Saint  Graal  (by  Robert  de  Borron),  Francisque 

Michel,  Bordeaux,  1841. 
Lais  of  Marie  de  France,  ed.  by  Karl  Warnke  (as  vol.  VI  of  Bibliotheca  Nor~ 

mannica,  ed.  by  Suchier),  Halle,  1895. 
Merlin  (-Huth) :  Merlin,  Roman  en  Prose,  publie  avec  la  mise  en  prose  dupo&me  de 

Merlin  de  Robert  de  Boron,  d'aprds  le  ms.  appartenant  d  M.  Alfred  H.  Huth, 

Gaston  Paris  et  Jacob  Ulrich,  (Socje'te'  des  Anciens  Textes  Fran9ais),  2  vols., 

Paris,  1886. 
Mart  d* Arthur  by  Sir  Thomas  Malory,  edited  with  notes,  study  of  the  sources,  etc. 

by  Oskar  Sommer,  3  vols.,  London,  1890,  4o. 

Mule  sans  Frein,  ed.  by  Me"on  :  Nouveau  Recueil  de  Fabliaux  et  Contes,  vol.  I,  Paris. 
Parzival  of  Wolfram  von  Eschenbach,  ed.  by  Karl  Bartech  (Deutsche  Classiker 

des  Mittelalters,  vols.  ix,  x,  xi,  Leipzig),  1875-79. 
Perceval :  Perceval  le  Gallois  ou  le  Conte  du  Graal,  Deuxieme  Parlie :  Le  Poeme, 

Ch.  Potvin,  5  vols.,  Mons,  1866-71. 
Peredur  (Welsh):  Peredur  ab  Evrawc,  translated  into  French  by  J.  Loth  in  Lea 

Mabinoyion  (vols.  in  and  iv  of  Court  de  Litleraiure  Celtique  par  H.  d'Arbois  de 

de  Jubainville  et  par  J.  Loth)  vol.  II,  Paris,  1889,  p.  45. 

1  This  bibliography  is  by  no  means  exhaustive. 

Ill 


112  A  Study  of  the  Perlesvaus. 

Perlesvaus :  Perceval  le  Oallois  ou  le  Conle  du  Graal,  Premiere  Partie :  Le  Roman  en 

Prose,  Ch.  Potvin,  1  vol.,  MODS,  1866. 
Perlesvaus  (Welsh  text) :   Y Seint  Greal  (2nd  part)  ed.  by  Rev.  Kobert  Williams 

(vol.  1  of  Selections  from  the  Hengwrt  MSS.),  London,  1876. 
Quite:   La   Queste  del  St.    Graal,  Furnivall  (printed  for  the   Roxburge  Club, 

London,  1864. 
Sir  Gawayne  and  the  Green  Knight,  R.  Morris,  (published  for  the  Early  English 

Text  Society)  2nd  edition,  revised,  London,  1864. 
Sir  Perceval:  Sir  Perceval  of  Galles,  J.  O.  Halliwell  (Thornton  Romances,  printed 

for  the  Camden  Society),  London,  1844. 

Tristan  (Prose) :  Le  Roman  en  prose  de  Tristan,  le  Roman  de  Palamede  el  la  com- 
pilation de  Rusticien  de  Pise  (analyse  critique  d'apres  lea  mss.  de  Paris),  E. 

Loeseih,  Paris,  1891. 
Villehardouin  :  Conqueste  de  Constantinople,  ed.  by  N.  de  Wailly,  Paris,  1872. 

MONOGRAPHS,  ETC. 

Birch-Hirschfeld,  A. :  Die  Sage  vom  Gral,  Leipzig,  1877. 

Freymond,  E. :  Beilraege  zur  Kenntniss  der  altfranzoesischen  Artusromane  (Zeitschrift 

fuer  franzoesische  Sprache  und  Litteratur,  vol.  xvn,  1895,  pp.  1-128). 
Gietmann,  G. :  Ein  Gralbuch  (Perlesvaus  translated  into  Modern  German,  with 

explanatory  notes,  etc.,  vol.  in  of  Klassische  Dichter  und  Dichiungen  ed.  by 

Gietmann),  Freiburg  im  Breisgau,  1889. 
Golther,  W. :  Chrestien's  conte  del  Graal  in  seinem  Verhaeltniss  zum  waelschen  Peredur 

und  zum  englischen  sir  Perceval  (Sitzungsberichte  der  Koeniglichen  Bayerischen 

Academie  der  Wissenschaften,  Band  II,  Abtheilung  2),  Munich,  1890,  pp.  171- 

227. 

Grimm,  Briider :  Altdeutsche  Waelder,  vol.  i,  Cassel,  1813. 
Heinzel,  R. :   Ueber  die  franzoesischen  Gralromane  ( Denkschriflen  der  Kaiserlichen 

Akademie  der  Wissenschaften,  phUosophisch-hislorische  Classe,  vierzigsier  Band), 

Vienna,  1892, 189  pp. 
Hertz,  W. :  Parzival  von   Wolfram  von  Eschenbach,  neu  bearbeitet,  zweite  Auftage, 

Stuttgart,  1898. 

Lot,  F. :  Etudes  sur  la  provenance  du  cycle  Arthurien  ( Romania,  xxiv.) 
Madden,  Sir  Frederick :  Syr  Gawayne  (a  collection  of  ancient  Romance-poems  by 

Scottish  and  English  authors,  relating  to  the  celebrated  knight  of  the  Round 

Table),  printed  for  the  Banatyne  Club,  London,  1839. 
Nutt,  A. :  Studies  on  the  Legend  of  the  Holy  Grail,  London,  1888. 
Nutt,  A.  and  Kuno  Meyer :  The  Voyage  of  Bran  Son  of  Febal  to  the  land  of  the 

Living,  section  1,  the  Happy  Otherworld,  London,  1895. 
Paris,  G. :  Eludes  sur  lea  romans  de  la  Table  Ronde  (Romania  x  and  xn),  Paris, 

1881, 1883. 
Paris,  G. :  Romans  en  vers  du  Cycle  de  la  Table  Ronde  (Histoire  Lilteraire  de  la 

France,  vol.  xxx),  Paris,  1888. 
Paris,  G. :  Romania,  xvn,  588 ;  xx,  504 ;  xxn,  296. 
Paris,  G. :  La  Litterature  Francaise  au  Moyen  Age,  deuxieme  edition,  Paris,  1890, 

60,  62. 


A  Study  of  the  Perksvaus.  113 

Paris,  P. :  Les  Romans  de  la  Table  Ronde  (translated  into  Modern  French),  Paris, 
1868-77,  5  vols. 

Philipot,  E. :   Un  Episode  d'Erec  et  Enide  (Romania,  xxv,  259),  Paris,  1896. 

Potvin,  Ch. :  Bibliographic  de  Chrestien  de  Troyes,  comparaison  des  mss.  de  Perceval  le 
Qallois  (Brussels,  Leipsic,  Gand)  Paris,  1863. 

Rhys,  J. :  Studies  in  the  Arthurian  Legend,  Oxford,  1891. 

Schofield,  W.  H. :  Studies  on  the  Libeaus  Desconw  (Harvard  Studies  and  Notes  in 
Philology  and  Literature,  vol.  iv),  Boston,  1895. 

Schroeder,  E.  :  Sanct  Brandan,  Erlangen,  1871. 

Stengel,  E. :  Rivista  di  Filologia  Romanza,  vol.  I,  192. 

Thomas,  Martha  Carey :  Syr  Qawayne  and  the  Green  Knight,  a  comparison  with  the 
French  Perceval,  preceded  by  an  investigation  of  the  author's  other  works  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  characterization  of  Oawain  in  English  poems  (inaugural  dissertation), 
Zurich,  1883. 

Waitz,  H. :  Die  Fortsetzungen  von  Chrestiens'  Perceval  le  Gallois  nach  den  Pariser 
Handschriften  (inaugural  dissertation),  Strassburg,  1890. 

Wechssler,  E. :  Ueber  die  verschiedenen  Redaktionen  des  Robert  von  Borron 
zugeschriebenen  Oraal-  Lancelot -Cyklus,  Halle,  1895. 

Wechssler,  E. :  Zeitschrift  fuer  romanische  Philologie,  vol.  xx,  p.  80  ff. 

Zimmer,  H. :  Keltische  Studien,  1884. 


LIFE. 


I  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  March  20th,  1876.  I  received  my 
early  education  in  the  private  schools  of  Baltimore.  In  October,  1891, 
I  was  matriculated  at  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  at  which  institu- 
tion I  have  since  been  a  student. 

After  completing  my  college  course  in  1894, 1  entered  the  depart- 
ment of  Modern  Languages,  choosing  French  as  my  major  subject,  and 
Italian  and  German  as  my  first  and  second  minors.  The  summers  of 
1895,  1896  and  1897  I  spent  abroad,  acquiring  a  speaking  knowledge 
of  French  and  engaged  in  research  work  in  the  libraries  of  Paris, 
London,  Brussels  and  Oxford. 

While  a  graduate  student  I  have  twice  held  a  University  scholarship, 
and  in  June,  1897, 1  was  appointed  Fellow  in  Romance  Languages  for 
the  ensuing  academic  year. 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  thank  all  those  whose  instruction  I  have 
received  for  their  constant  courtesy  and  helpfulness  to  me.  Above  all, 
I  value  the  kindness  and  consideration  shown  me  by  Professor  Elliott, 
to  whose  scholarly  judgment  and  wise  guidance  I  owe  more  than  mere 
words  can  express. 

BALTIMORE,  April  15th,  1899. 


115 


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